Scotland’s police officer numbers are at their lowest level since 2008, new figures have shown.

The Police Officer Quarterly Strength report found that there were 16,610 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on June 30, 2022.

This figure is the lowest it’s been since the third quarter of 2008, when the force recorded 16,526 FTE officers in its employment.

It is also a decrease of 195 from the previous quarter, from March 31, and a decrease of 679 FTE officers when compared to the same quarter last year.

In contrast, Police Scotland reported the highest number of officers in seven years two years ago – just before the pandemic kicked off.

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