Strikes, constitutional uncertainty and crisis poverty are threatening the cohesion of communities across the country, according to the head of Police Scotland.

Chief constable Sir Iain Livingstone also said planned cuts, which could result in the loss of thousands of officers, would lead to a “fundamental reduction” in the force’s ability to fairly and safely police large events and demonstrations.

Livingstone made his remarks at a Scottish Police Authority board meeting on Thursday, the day after rallies were held across the country to protest against the supreme court ruling that the Scottish government could not stage a second independence referendum without Westminster’s approval.

He told the board: “When there are times of a potential breakdown in social cohesion – there are more intense industrial relations, there’s clearly a level of constitutional uncertainty within society at the moment – all of those put wider pressure on the cohesiveness of local communities and inevitably that can manifest itself in pressure on local policing.”

A police source underlined that Livingstone had not intended to make a political point, but that a combination of factors were heaping pressure on already strained resources, as the cost of living crisis drives up vulnerability and need, and other agencies face similar budget cuts, often leaving police as the service of last resort.

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