Responding to the Scottish Government's draft budget announcement today, David Crichton, Interim Chair of the Scottish Police Authority said:

"The Authority very much welcomes today’s draft budget statement. We have said consistently that the financial sustainability of policing depends upon addressing a persistent structural deficit. The additional £60 million in revenue funding announced today achieves that. It represents a strong vote of confidence in the Authority and Police Scotland and particularly recognises the outstanding performance of the police service in protecting the country’s safety and wellbeing during the pandemic.

"The draft budget also commits to maintaining capital funding at existing levels, along with an additional £0.5m for specialist equipment for officers. We welcome that but also acknowledge the need for further capital and reform funding. This will be needed to deal with the legacy of under-investment in infrastructure and to accelerate the strategic transformation required to meet changing and increasing demands on the service.

"The Authority will consider today's draft budget and what that means for the year ahead with a view to approving the 2021/22 policing budget in March."

Article initially published 28 January 2021.