JACKIE Baillie MSP has hit out at the Scottish Government over the decline in the number of police officers in Argyll and West Dunbartonshire.

New figures from Police Scotland for Quarter 2 of 2024, show 525 Full-Time Equivalent officers covering the areas.

The figure has decreased since available records began in 2017, when 566 cops policed the area.

Police Scotland have also announced plans to close Dumbarton’s long-established divisional headquarters and axe the auxiliary base in Alexandria – which is not open to members of the public.

They have been making greater use of Clydebank’s Montrose Street Police Office to base resources.

National figures from Scotland’s chief statistician, released recently, reveal the number of officers in Scotland had fallen to just 16,207 on June 30 -  a decrease of 148 since March 31.

The number has dropped by almost 400 in just a year.

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The deputy leader of Scottish Labour said: “The SNP have a track record of incompetence and failure in government and trashing public services.

“The Scottish Government has completely failed to support Police Scotland and the latest figures show that officer numbers are going only one way, at a time when we look to rely on them most.

"Police Scotland has endured tough flat cash settlements from the SNP Scottish Government in recent years and has struggled to balance the books.

"Pleas for additional cash to shore up the force have fallen on deaf ears.

"The number of officers of officers is now lower than when the SNP took power in 2007.

“It is high time the SNP took heed of the plentiful warnings they have been given over dwindling public services and looked to help officers and communities by shoring up frontline policing in Scotland.”

Justice Secretary Angela Constance responded by highlighting the funding put into policing by the Scottish Government

She said: "Record police funding of £1.55 billion this year – an increase of £92.7 million – means Police Scotland will take on more recruits this year than at any time since 2013.

"Police Scotland indicated that there were around 16,400 officers at the beginning of August and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales, and they are better paid.

“While decisions on the deployment of resources are, of course, a matter for the Chief Constable, the importance of community policing is emphasised in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Police Priorities.”