To ask the Scottish Executive whether any police forces in Scotland are currently understaffed; if so, how many officers of each rank any such forces are short of, and how long each such force has been understaffed.

The information sought is not held centrally. From 1 April 1996 the controls previously exercised by ministers over police force numbers were removed. Since then it has been entirely for chief constables in consultation with police authorities to decide on staffing levels within the resources available to them. As a result of sustained increases in police funding, police numbers are expected to reach record levels by 2002.