To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs last met with the chief constable of Police Scotland. (S6O-03677)

I regularly meet the chief constable and other members of Police Scotland’s executive team. My most recent meeting was on 20 August. Although the chief constable is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, our meetings provide an opportunity to focus on matters of strategic importance and the key priorities for policing.

The cabinet secretary will be aware of a spike in antisocial behaviour across the bus network in Scotland. In East Lothian, that has included young people lobbing rocks at buses and assaults on passengers. Last week, a pregnant woman was allegedly pushed off a bench while waiting at a bus stop in Tranent. She was left bleeding and in pain and, tragically, after waiting in an ambulance, she later miscarried. Her husband has appealed to parents and family members to speak to young people and to

“remind them everyday how to respect people and behave in public places.”

I therefore ask the cabinet secretary what discussions she has had with Police Scotland about policing on the bus network, particularly since the introduction of free bus travel for under-22s. Will she join me in calling for a policy of zero tolerance of antisocial behaviour on Scotland’s bus network?

The circumstances that Craig Hoy has narrated are truly shocking. We should be thankful that the vast majority of our young people are people to be proud of, and are excellent citizens and contributors to, the country in which we live.

I reassure Mr Hoy that I and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, as well as our ministerial colleagues in transport, are very much engaged in the issue. He might wish to look at the programme for government, where we talk about the on-going work on violence reduction and the actions that will be taken to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Mr Hoy is right to suggest that people who work on our bus and other public transport networks should not have to put up with any kind of deplorable or violent behaviour.

Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on recruitment plans that the chief constable has with regard to increasing police officer numbers?

I am pleased to confirm that, this year, Police Scotland is set to take on more recruits than at any time since its inception in 2013. Since March, Police Scotland has welcomed around 680 new officers and, since the beginning of 2023, has welcomed more than 1,280 new recruits. Police Scotland has plans for further intakes throughout the year, with the chief constable confirming that our budget settlement will enable Police Scotland to recruit enough officers to increase numbers back to the region of 16,500 to 16,600 over the course of this financial year.