Crime down, police up and £100m saved

SCOTLAND’S police have saved almost £100 million in the past year and diverted more money towards frontline services, a new report has found.

Andrew Laing, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS), praised chief officers for driving reported crime down to a 35-year low, while trimming their budgets.

Forces saved a total of £18.5m in 2010/11, with all eight coming in under budget. However, that figure was dwarfed by £80m they found in efficiency savings – changing some working practices – which was diverted back into the service.

Mr Laing said most of this went towards hitting the Scottish Government’s target of an extra 1,000 officers on the street.

He said: “Scotland’s police forces have contributed significantly to making our communities safer and stronger.

“However, much of this has been delivered during a period when funding, resource and officer numbers were at a historic high.”

The Scottish Government announced this month that it will merge the current eight forces into one, a decision partly motivated by tightening budgets.

Mr Laing said he hoped the move would not damage police performance, after crime fell by 4 per cent last year.

“What is clear is that the current performance in Scottish policing has set the bar very high,” he said.

“It is therefore critical that the process of reform is fully considered, well supported and that performance and delivery are monitored and effectively challenged.”

The Scottish Government hopes the merger will save about £130m a year, or £1.7 billion over 15 years, and believes this is the best way of maintaining police officer numbers and low crime rates.

Welcoming the inspector’s annual report, justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “A reformed Scottish police service will safeguard these hard-won gains. We will work closely with the service, and HMICS, to address the challenges ahead and ensure a smooth transition to the new single service.”

Mr Laing’s main criticism was that more support was needed for victims of less serious crimes – ones dealt with by summary procedure, rather than solemn – particularly those who have suffered domestic abuse.

“Victims of domestic abuse are particularly vulnerable and so need that additional care and support,” he said.

“That group, to some extent, should be prioritised, in their treatment and the evidence suggests that is not always the case.”

The Scottish Government plans to introduce new laws which will include more support for victims.

A spokeswoman said: “Victims’ rights are paramount in the criminal justice system.

“We will introduce a victims’ rights bill in the lifetime of this parliament, which will enshrine in law victims’ rights to compensation and give victims input into sentencing policy.”

The Crown Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) are also working on more victim-focused initiatives.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The Crown Office remains committed to designing services that are flexible enough to be responsive to each individual victim’s needs and have taken action in light of the inspectorate’s report to ensure that this is achieved.”

An Acpos spokesman added: “This is something that’s being taken very seriously. It’s not just about the high-profile victims, it’s about the whole criminal justice system, and we are taking a very close look at this.”

The moves were welcomed by Victim Support Scotland.

“We agree with the report,” a spokesman for the charity said.

“While there should be priority services for the victims of the most serious crimes, we must remember it can be very harrowing to be the victim of any crime.”