THE SCOTTISH Justice Secretary has accused a Tory MSP of having a "brass neck" after attacking the Scottish Government over cuts to policing.
Asking a question about the mental health support given to police officers in Scotland, Jeremy Balfour said Police Scotland staff are working "against a background" of cuts, drawing jeers from the SNP members in the chamber.
In November, an independent study by Canadian academics – commissioned by the Scottish Police Federation – suggested more than a third of police officers admitted working while "mentally unwell" in the past six months, while one in 10 said they use alcohol or prescription drugs to cope.
The research is expected to be published in full before the new year.
Balfour asked if Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf would "guarantee" support for officers.
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Yousaf responded: "I'm astounded by the brass neck of Jeremy Balfour for talking about a 'background of cuts' in policing. His party over the decade has cut 20,000 officers.
"Even your promise of increasing officers by 20,000, that is just simply getting it up to the standard it was before you made those cuts.
"If the Conservatives followed Scotland's lead you'd have to increase your officers by 27,000.
"I'm not going to take a lecture on a 'background of cuts' when in the last decade you've cut this Government's budget."
Boris Johnson’s Tories have vowed to increase police numbers by 20,000, but the total UK police workforce has actually fallen from 245,000 in March 2010 to just over 202,000 in March 2019 – a fall of more than 40,000.
Yousaf also said he is "satisfied" Police Scotland takes the issue of mental health seriously.
He said: "I look forward to receiving the research from the Scottish Police Federation and once I have that research I'm happy to work with the Chief Constable and Police Scotland.
"We have an absolutely shared endeavour, whether it's the Scottish Police Authority, the Police Federation or Police Scotland itself, or indeed the Government, to make sure that our officers feel supported in what is a difficult job.
"We will continue to do that by investing in our police service by ensuring that revenue is protected and the capital budget – as it has been over the years – will be increased."
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