I AM extremely concerned at falling Numbers of frontline Police Officers across Scotland and in Fife.

Figures have emerged that since the first available figures after the SNP created Police Scotland in the third quarter of 2013, total strength has fallen by a heady 409 officers across the country.

The SNP Scottish government is continuing to dismantle local, frontline policing and in my region of Fife ā€˜Pā€™ Division has lost a total of 12 officers between Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 of 2018/19 ā€“ and a total of 37 Police Officers since Quarter 3 of 2013.

It will be very concerning to communities across Fife that the number of police officers is down under the SNP.

Local police presence helps prevent and detect crime while providing welcome reassurance to the public.

It is difficult to maintain confidence that people are living in safety when numbers are dwindling like this.

Under the SNP, we are seeing an increasingly soft-touch approach to justice and this party must give Police Scotland the resources it needs to keep us all safe.

ALEXANDER STEWART,

MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.

The Scottish Government say that they are consistently seeking to increase police numbers and are continuing to recruit young people into the force.