To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to Police Scotland to tackle violent crimes in local communities. (S6O-03526)

The latest Scottish crime and justice survey results show a 58 per cent fall in violent crime since 2008-09, with an increase in the number of adults feeling safe in their local communities over the same time. We welcome that encouraging progress, but we are not complacent. Despite difficult financial circumstances due to United Kingdom Government austerity, our budget for 2024-25 includes record police funding of £1.55 billion, which is an increase of nearly £93 million. That investment is ensuring that Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales, with 30 officers per 10,000 of the population at 31 March 2024, compared with 24 officers per 10,000 of the population in England and Wales at 30 September 2023.

The police quarterly report that was presented to East Renfrewshire Council confirmed that there continued to be an overall increase in non-sexual crimes of violence in East Renfrewshire, with the figure up to 68 from the 55 offences that were recorded for the same period in the previous year. I think that the cabinet secretary and I entered Parliament at the same time, in 2007. She will remember that the proudest boast of her Government by the end of that session of Parliament was that it had increased police numbers by 1,000 officers. Obviously, therefore, I am dismayed to find that we now have the lowest level of police numbers since 2008.

To tackle violent crimes in East Renfrewshire and across Scotland, does the cabinet secretary not agree that increasing the number of police officers should once again be a priority for the Scottish Government to help to keep our local communities safe?

I assure Mr Carlaw that policing most certainly remains a key priority of this Government. However, I am concerned to hear of the monthly reports on violent crime in his constituency. The longer-term trend shows that, from 2006-07 to 2022-23, there was a 36 per cent reduction in violent crime in his constituency. That reduction was greater than the 25 per cent reduction in the country as a whole.

Nonetheless, I take seriously Mr Carlaw’s concerns about the recent fluctuation in the monthly figures. He might be reassured to know that, as of 31 March this year, there were 2,459 officers in G division, which covers his constituency. That is 72 more officers than there were in the previous quarter.

Will the cabinet secretary provide an update regarding the steps that are being taken to ensure that, despite the deeply challenging financial circumstances due to the United Kingdom Government’s financial settlement, the increased Scottish Police Authority resource budget supports further police recruitment?

Although the recruitment and deployment of police officers is, of course, a matter for the chief constable, I am reassured that she is taking action to get the number of officers up to between 16,500 and 16,600. More than 310 new officers have commenced their training this year, and there are plans to recruit a further 840 new officers between July and the end of March.

I recently met East Kilbride victims of teen violence, which is a group of local residents who have been affected and shocked by recent events in the town. Will the cabinet secretary outline the work that the Scottish Government is taking forward, alongside the police, with important organisations including the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence? How can their expertise be used in towns such as East Kilbride, where police data shows that there has been a significant rise in youth violence?

I share Collette Stevenson’s concern about youth crime. I understand that Police Scotland is investigating incidents in East Kilbride and that it has deployed additional patrols to reassure the community.

Through our violence prevention framework, we are supporting a programme of action, backed by over £2 million this year, to prevent and reduce violence across Scotland. In East Kilbride, the funding is supporting the targeted work of Medics Against Violence and No Knives, Better Lives to prevent youth violence in the first place.

Although such problems should be of concern to each and every one of us in the chamber, I hope that Collette Stevenson can take some reassurance from the fact that, as I have highlighted, there has been an overall reduction in youth crime and crime generally, with violent crime having decreased by 58 per cent since 2008-09.

Question 4 was not lodged.