Police Scotland redeploys more than 500 officers to support local policing during pandemic
More than 500 officers are being redeployed to support local policing as Covid-19 continues to put a strain on frontline services in Scotland.
Police Scotland said that from Monday (January 10) more than 300 officers from specialist functions throughout the country will be temporarily moved to support colleagues in local policing divisions.
At the same time, 258 probationary constables currently undergoing training at the Scottish Police College will also be deployed to local policing duties.
Police Scotland said the use of probationers and specialist officers had proved successful both earlier in the pandemic and during November’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said the force was “working hard to maximise the availability of officers and staff in frontline duties to ensure that we continue to provide a highly effective policing service to our local communities”.
“Omicron is having a significant effect on the country and Police Scotland is included in that,” he added.
“The welfare of our officers and staff is paramount and has been throughout the pandemic.
“As a national service we can quickly flex resources and move people to where they are needed and respond to increased demand and high absence levels.
“By deploying these extra resources we can support local policing and keep people safe during this critical time.”
On Thursday (January 6), 11,360 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Scotland, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to more than one million.