JUSTICE Secretary Humza Yousaf has defended the Scottish Government’s funding of Police Scotland and said the UK Government should return the £125 million Police Scotland paid in VAT before the policy was overturned in 2017. This comes after warnings over a “structural deficit” in the force’s budget.

At a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) meeting on Friday, the vice-chair of the oversight body, David Crichton, said that current officer numbers are “not sustainable” and “difficult choices” would have to be made.

Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr called for increased resources ahead of a busy year. A rise in protests, the Euro 2020 games during the summer, the impact of Brexit and the hosting of COP26 in Glasgow are all expected to place an increased demand on the service.

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At the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Yousaf said policing services had been maintained and improved by the Scottish Government.

“The annual budget for policing has increased by more than £80m since 2016-17, bringing that budget to more than £1.2 billion in 2019-20,” Yousaf said. “This includes a £12m increase in capital funding which was focused on the introduction of mobile devices to frontline officers.

“Despite constraints on Scotland’s public services through a decade of UK austerity, the Scottish Government has worked with Police Scotland and the Police Authority to maintain and improve policing services, including providing significantly more officers than at any other time before 2007.

“Current officer numbers stand at 17,256, that is 1022 more officers than we inherited – of course in England and Wales that number has reduced by 20,000.

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“Discussions around Scotland’s budget for 2020/21 continue. We will however continue to ensure Scotland’s police service is supported to keep people in communities safe.”

Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr called on Yousaf to back his party’s demands for additional funding of £50m for the police.

Yousaf responded: “The UK Government stole £125m out of policing and you’re asking us to put £50m back in. If [Kerr] really wants to be helpful, he could use that enormous influence that he has with his UK Government colleagues to get them at the stroke of a pen to reverse that decision and give us that £125m back.”