Chamber and committees

We regularly consider the extent to which introducing legislation is appropriate or possible. We continue to engage with the Ministry of Defence as it seeks, for example, to further embed the Armed Forces Covenant into legislation through the Armed Forces Act 2021, which received royal assent on 15 December 2021.

We worked closely with the MOD in advance of the legislation being introduced to ensure that the 2021 act would be fit for purpose in Scotland, and we continue to work with the MOD as it develops the statutory guidance. We are satisfied that the covenant provisions in the act do not fall within this Parliament’s legislative competence.

Again, Beatrice Wishart raises an important point. The Scottish Government does not support the Cancard system for a number of reasons; I am happy to correspond with her on that.

Beatrice Wishart is right to say that people who are in receipt of those prescriptions should have clarity about what the checks are. I am willing to write to Police Scotland to ask whether it wants to publicise the advice that it uses, which is issued by the National Police Chiefs Council, as the matter is reserved. I know that some of the issues that her constituent experienced were to do with the use of the Royal Mail. People should have clarity on what is likely to cause them issues. There is no need for a prescription at the Royal Mail stage, but when an issue is picked up by dogs, a prescription has to be used. There is a need for more clarity, and I am willing to write to Police Scotland to ask it if it is able to provide that clarity.

The information that Ms Hamilton requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. She has been a member of the Parliament for some years, so I am sure that she is aware that the recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff is a matter for the chief constable, who regularly reviews the size and shape of the policing workforce in light of changing demands.

Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who are always dedicated locally to community and response policing and who draw on specialist expertise and resources at a regional and national level. Current Scottish Government statistics show that we have about 32 officers per 10,000 of population. Just over the border from the Scottish Borders, there are 23 officers per 10,000 of population in England and Wales.

I am always happy to meet members to discuss concerns. I did not catch the whole of the requested remit for the meeting, but I am happy to meet members.

In relation to backing anything that the Conservatives suggest, we must start from a position of agreed facts. The fact is that the Scottish Government has not cut police numbers by 59, as has been said. I mentioned—and I think that most people know and support this—that it is for the chief constable to decide the disposition of police forces. I point out the hypocrisy in attacking the level of police numbers in one area when, just over the border from that area, numbers are substantially lower. Although that area happens to be overseen by a Government of a different persuasion, it does not mean that the point should pass without comment.

What Rachael Hamilton says is an attack on the Police Service, because the Police Service, through the chief constable and the Scottish Police Authority, decides on the matter. Before the Tories revert to making an argument about budgets, I point out that they did not seek in Parliament to amend the police budget, even though they promised for many months that they would give more funding.

If we could start from a position of agreed facts, perhaps we could discuss what we can and cannot support in relation to Conservative initiatives. However, I reiterate that I am more than happy to meet Rachael Hamilton to discuss the issues that she is concerned about.

As a first responder, Police Scotland collaborates with local health boards, NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service and others to support those in distress. The Scottish Government has invested £1.1 billion for national health service boards and integration authorities in response to the pandemic. That includes putting £6 million towards additional telephone and online support services. In addition, £2.1 million was provided to expand the NHS 24 mental health hub so that it could be available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Police Scotland collaborated with NHS 24 to develop a mental health pathway, allowing police call handlers to provide a streamlined journey for people experiencing poor mental health and to direct callers to the mental health hub.

Guidance was issued by the National Police Chiefs Council on the rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in November 2018, and it was shared with Police Scotland. Only individuals who are in receipt of a valid prescription from a specialist clinician are able to legally possess a cannabis-based product for medicinal use. Individuals who have a prescription for those products can show that prescription to the police as evidence that they are entitled to the product. Police officers can also make inquiries with the prescriber to ensure that the product has been legally obtained.

The Government is reviewing its veterans strategy action plan with a view to publishing a refreshed version during the first half of this year, so we will work with key stakeholders to determine the extent to which existing commitments remain valid and, of course, to determine where there is an opportunity to add to them.

We intend to consult with the local authority armed forces and veterans champions, not least Frank Ross, the lord provost of Edinburgh, whom the member mentioned. We will consider the views and the findings of the City of Edinburgh Council’s document, “The Strategy for our Ex-Forces Personnel” when developing a refreshed set of commitments to support veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland.

I commend Frank Ross for his work with veterans over a number of years.

We believe that it is important that, should they choose to do so, veterans are able to easily identify themselves as such when accessing services. I urge the UK Government to press ahead with its plans to undertake a scoping study for the provision of digital verification of veteran status and I thank it for involving the Scottish Government in the recent discovery work for that project, which I think involved interaction with consultants. I encourage the UK Government to continue to work collaboratively to deliver a service that meets the needs of veterans across the UK as soon as possible.

In my view, the police have the capacity to respond to crime on the streets, and they respond extremely well, as evidenced by some of the lowest crime rates that we have seen in Scotland for many years. The police are very much used to dealing with people in a distressed state and are very much trauma informed in their response. We are trying to ensure that that is the case across the justice system, and I think that they have done a very good job.

In relation to the capital budget, I note that the Conservatives proposed no amendment to the budget, so they proposed no additional funds—either capital or resource—for the police. I assume from that that the Conservatives support the increased levels of expenditure that we have provided to the police.

On police numbers, I simply point out that we have around 32 police officers for every 10,000 people in Scotland, whereas there are 23 police officers for every 10,000 people across the border. We have increased police numbers since we formed the Scottish Government, whereas the Government that the member supports has reduced police numbers by 17,000—and it is now trying to row back from that. We have a very good record, and we are very supportive of the police.

It is worth pointing out that decisions about the disposition of police forces are a matter for the chief constable. I would hope that the member would support that.

That is a very good question. I refer to my comment about trying to ensure that the whole justice system is trauma informed. As I am sure the member, as convener of the Criminal Justice Committee, knows, Police Scotland has made a pledge under the NHS national trauma training programme to support our communities, especially those people who are identified as being vulnerable and at risk. The police do that in their daily working practices, liaising closely with national and local partners.

On the specific issue of training, Police Scotland has worked to integrate trauma-informed practices in many key areas of business, and it has adopted the use of NHS Education for Scotland materials. That includes specialist training for detectives and custody officers. It has also committed to providing specific training to all probationary officers as part of the initial training programme.