Question reference: S6W-15163
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 21 February 2023
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 March 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the number of Police Scotland Special Constables fell to 423 in 2022, compared with 1,394 in 2014, and what steps it is taking to increase the number of Special Constables.
Answer
The Scottish Government is grateful to Special Constables who are an integral part of Police Scotland’s workforce mix.
The Scottish Government does not collect data on Police Scotland’s Special Constable programme. Statistics on Special Constable numbers and recruitment are a matter for the Chief Constable.
Whilst Police Scotland are actively recruiting they have in recent years focused their investment on fully trained Special Constables who are willing to deploy regularly and able to fully support officers in our communities.