Number of applications to join Police Scotland have more than halved in a year
The number of applications to join Police Scotland more than halved last year – sparking calls for pay hikes and better funding to make it a more attractive career choice.
Figures revealed by justice and social affairs magazine 1919 show there were 2,237 applications in 2021/22, down from 5,611 the previous year.
It is also a huge drop on 2019/20, when 4,228 people applied.
The findings come amid a pay dispute which has seen officers in Scotland withdraw their ‘goodwill’.
In what has been described as the “most overt demonstration of action” in more than 100 years, officers are not starting their shifts early or taking radio equipment home when their duty ends.
Calum Steele, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, has described the fall in application figures as an “astonishing drop”.
He said: “Policing is clearly becoming a less attractive as a career choice, which could be down to issues around pay, funding and falling numbers of officers putting more strain on available resources.
“We are aware there is a very buoyant jobs market in the UK just now and the police service is competing against a whole variety of other professions and industries.
“Clearly issues around pay and reward and flexibility are playing a part in the falling numbers of applications.”
Mr Steele also pointed to warnings of a looming retirement crisis in Police Scotland. It is thought around one in ten police officers are considering leaving following the introduction of pension arrangements that would let them retire five years early.
He added: “This makes it all the more crucial that we ensure we are attracting a high number of strong candidates with each recruitment drive.”
Latest statistics show police numbers have fallen to 16,805, below the ‘full officer establishment’ quota of 17,234.
Last year, 442 new officers were appointed by Police Scotland, a slight increase on the 430 appointed in 2020/21, but well below the 1,017 new officers in 2019/20.
Police Scotland Superintendent Simon Wright said policing was an “exceptionally varied and rewarding career”, and would encourage anyone seeking out a new challenge to consider joining Police Scotland.
He said: “The police service, like many other large organisations, has been dealing with the impact of Covid over the past two years, which limited our recruitment and training for a period of time.
“However, despite the pandemic, we have continued to recruit people, wishing to make a commitment to Police Scotland, and importantly, we have successfully met all our recruitment intakes.
“Since the start of 2022, we have received 1,755 new applications and have increased police officer recruitment by 50 per cent, bringing around 300 new police officers into policing on every intake.
“This is scheduled to continue throughout 2022 and this summer will see a recruitment campaign being launched which seeks to encourage and further support new applicants across the whole of Scotland.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Police officer numbers in Scotland remain significantly up from 2007, and are favourable relative to elsewhere in the UK with around 32 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 23 officers per 10,000 population in England and Wales.
“It is normal for officer numbers to fluctuate and the current figures were impacted by use of the Police Scotland training college as a base for UK officers during COP26, as well as the ongoing impact of coronavirus restrictions.
“Despite UK Government austerity we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016/17 and have invested more than £10 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.”
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain, a former police officer, believes the reasons for the sharp decline in the number of those interested in a police career are “complex and varied”.
“This type of career involves navigating high-level pressures and demands,” she said.
“We know from staff surveys that police officers and staff are struggling with exhaustion, stress and mental health problems.
“Likewise, despite violent crime being on the rise, they have been plagued by a shortage of resources, the loss of valuable civilian expertise and a reliance on outdated IT systems.
“This is set to worsen with another round of SNP cuts coming down the line. No wonder it is not looking like an appealing career.”
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene said: “The plummeting number of applicants looking to join Scotland’s police force represents a catastrophic failure by the SNP to make policing appealing in Scotland.
“As violent crime rises, police are needed more than ever to patrol streets, respond to calls and clamp down on crime and anti-social behaviour.
“But with falling recruit numbers, increasing retirements and planned funding cuts of up to £100 million in the coming years, the SNP are creating a recipe for disaster in Scotland’s police force which will pile more pressure on already over-worked officers.”