Despite the deeply challenging financial circumstances, our budget settlement for 2024-25 for Police Scotland includes an additional £75.7 million to protect front-line policing. As the chief constable confirmed to the Criminal Justice Committee, that investment will enable Police Scotland to bring officer numbers up to around 16,500 to 16,600.
This week, we expect another 120 officers to commence training, in addition to the almost 200 new officers joining in March. Further recruitment intakes are planned across the year.
Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales, with 30 officers per 10,000 of the population, compared with 24 officers per 10,000 of the population in England and Wales.