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Labour says SNP's police vow to take 13 years to fulfil

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" "This simply isn't good enough for our communities" "
Published Date: 30 August 2008
By David Maddox
Scottish Political Correspondent
NEW figures reveal that the SNP will take 13 years to fulfil its promise of providing 1,000 extra police officers on Scotland's streets, Labour has claimed.
There were 16,339 police officers in Scotland between 1 April and 30 June this year, new Scottish Government figures have revealed.

The number is an increase of 118 officers on the previous quarter and the highest figure ever recorded.

SNP min
isters have been quick to point out that, had Labour been in power, there would have been a shortfall of more than 150 and no target of reaching 1,000.

Paul Martin MSP, Labour's justice spokesman, said: "We welcome the recruitment of every new police officer, but at this rate of progress it will take over 13 years for the SNP to meet its manifesto commitment. This simply isn't good enough when so many of our communities continue to live in fear of crime."

A similar message was put out by Labour leadership hopeful Iain Gray, which was immediately pounced upon by the SNP. Mr Gray led Labour's attack on the budget which provided the money for 1,000 extra police officers after a deal between the Conservatives and the SNP.

An aide to Mr MacAskill said: "Labour and the Liberal Democrats are going to have to eat a big slice of humble pie now that police numbers have increased to record levels – well over 100 above the position we inherited from them."





The full article contains 252 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 29 August 2008 10:15 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Scottish Labour Party
 
1

Senga Jean,

30/08/2008 00:10:00
Labour do not know when to keep quiet. They caused the problem and now give the SNP a bit of space to solve it. I personally do not agree with recruiting 1000 more officers. I would like to see better management!
2

Dileas,

30/08/2008 00:23:14
Trust Labour to demonstrate their ineptness by criticising the SNP for not recruiting as many more police as Labour would now like to see - having created the problem in the first place and having done NOTHING to resolve it.

Labour looked on as crime went through the roof and good police officers left in frustration at the "targets" culture that Labour introduced and needed so much form filling!
3

Ken W,

Fife 30/08/2008 00:34:54
Labour of course, have fulfilled their election promises: They promised nothing. They delivered nothing.
4

dude,

30/08/2008 00:45:48
Paul Martin MSP, Labour's justice spokesman, said: "We welcome the recruitment of every new police officer, but at this rate of progress it will take over 13 years for the SNP to meet its manifesto commitment. This simply isn't good enough when so many of our communities continue to live in fear of crime."

ok so 1000/118 = ~ 8.5 years

The number is an increase of 118 officers on the previous quarter and the highest figure ever recorded

so the figure of an 118 increace is just over 3 months, well ahead of target if you ask me

5

dude,

wishaw 30/08/2008 00:48:44
do these people think we are all thick, where did they pluck this figure from, 13 unlucky for some, seems like they are down to trying superstition for help, god help them....
6

G.Campbell,

30/08/2008 01:08:48
"We welcome the recruitment of every new police officer, but at this rate of progress it will take over 13 years for the SNP to meet its manifesto commitment."

Labour says it will take 13 years to fulfil the Nationalists promise of 1,000 extra police.

The SNP can't meet manifesto commitments without being in power.

Labour has just admitted that they expect the SNP to be running Scotland for at least the next 13 years.
7

Guga II,

Rockall 30/08/2008 01:25:15
Having held power in Scotland for around fifty years, we should, if we believe the spin from the New Labour Sleaze and Corruption Party (North British Branch), be living in a paradise, with all our problems overcome.

The fact that we are not living in a paradise is now, apparently, the fault of the SNP who have been in power in Scotland for around a year and a half.

Perhaps if the Labour Party in Scotland hadn't been such a corrupt, sleaze ridden bunch of hypocrites and liars whose only aim was self-seeking aggrandisment, and who hadn't tried to run Scotland as their own personal Mafia fiefdom, the country might have been in a lot better state than it is. The fact that there is one area in Scotland in which people have a life expectancy of 54 years, says it all as regards Labour competence.
8

Guga II,

Rockall 30/08/2008 01:27:47
Typo. "aggrandisement".
9

2Right,

On Location 30/08/2008 03:25:15
Mr Paul Martin told us he was not "legally minded" when we asked for his help.
Nice to see he now claims to be Justice Spokesman for Labour.

Both Mr Martin and his Father should be booted out of Labour and Government.

Remember he used the free flights from his Father and we "We" were paying for his "Mother" to go shopping in Taxis.

The quicker they are both out of jobs the more money Labour will have to campaign
10

A Better Way,

Scottish Republic 30/08/2008 03:59:22
Having just come over from the Herald and seen the Hootsman (109 million in debt)i see they have turned this whole story on its Torie Head.

Police numbers are the highest EVER and the Tories welcomed this.

This rag makes it sound like the SNP hasnt been working hard enough, even though they have reduced crime by 6% in Scotland because of their policy to get the existing police of their botties and out and about.

Police numbers will further rise by 450 new officers based on the revamped (less often used)Training Programme.

Christ London Controlled New Labour have run us into the biggest recession since 1948 according to Alistair Darling in the Guardian.
11

A Better Way,

Scottish Republic 30/08/2008 04:06:10
Follow this link to the Guardian Interview of Alistair Darling stabbing Gordon Brown in the back, front, head and everywhere else. He is abondoning the ship he was part off big style.
12

A Better Way,

Scottish Republic 30/08/2008 04:06:49
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/30/economy.alistairdarling
13

Boy Wonder,

30/08/2008 07:48:53
Can't we have a story about New Labour's long continuing descent into the pyres of self-immolation?
14

donald anderson it's me,

weegieland 30/08/2008 07:54:57
How long didn't it take them under Labour?
15

Nikostratos,

30/08/2008 08:02:21
the snp fail to deliver yet again were as

Labour's list of achievements.

- The National Minimum Wage - increased year on year above inflation
- Written off up to 100 per cent of debt owed by poorest countries
- Dads now get paternity leave of 2 weeks for the first time, mums maternity leave extended and the value of it increased.
- Record number of students in higher education.
- Child benefit up 26 per cent since 1997.
- 2,200 Sure Start Children’s Centres linking the poorest kids education health and welfare services
- Introduced the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
- The Human Rights Act.
-£200 winter fuel payment to pensioners
- All full time workers now have a right to 24 days paid holiday.
- 18 weeks maximum waiting time in the NHS
- 600,000 children lifted out of relative poverty.
- Gift aid was worth £828 million to charities last year.
- Introduced child tax credit giving more money to parents.
- Scrapped Section 28 and introduced Civil Partnerships.
- Lifted the ban on gays and lesbians in the military.
- Goods and Services Legislation
- Banned fox hunting.
- Free TV licences for over-75s.
- Banned fur farming and the testing of cosmetics on animals.
- More than doubled the number of apprenticeships.
- Over 3 million child trust funds established
- Cut long-term youth unemployment by 75 per cent.
- Free Bus passes for over 60s
- Smoking Ban
- Free Personal Care
- Abolition of Feudal Tenure
- Abolition of Warrant Sales
- A Scottish Parliament
16

gus1940,

Edinburgh 30/08/2008 08:23:32
Yet another recycled Labour press release.
17

Nikostratos,

30/08/2008 08:27:33
#16

to sate your unreasoning hatred here is a sit dedicated to individual such as you and the rest of the snp consciences objectors.

http://tales-of-iraq-war.blogspot.com/


http://bp3.blogger.com/_LYYPIMTpiD0/ReOYoJkOEFI/AAAAAAAAACM/yCEEqunBvyU/s320/superman+iraq.jpg
18

,

30/08/2008 08:35:59
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
19

,

30/08/2008 08:36:29
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
20

Linda,

Edinburgh 30/08/2008 08:45:38
SNP promise was 1000 extra police on the beat. Recruitment is only part of the equation but redeployment of existing officers is major factor.

Read A Darling in Guardian to-day:

Says about Labour "People are pissed off with us."

Wendy Alexander, the former Scottish Labour leader, is "not likable at all"
21

Richardinho,

30/08/2008 09:21:32
Labour do seem to forget that the SNP government is a minority within the parliament. The Labour party therefore have every opportunity to try put forward proposals to deal with these difficult issues and actually put them into practise.
The shortfall in police numbers is clearly not the sole fault of the SNP so all this constant sniping is really rather pointless.
it is time that the parties started working together for the good of Scotland.
22

Auld Twa,

Edinburgh 30/08/2008 09:34:32
118 increase in a quarter so we could have an increase of 472 in a year at this rate. Pretty near the 1,000 in a couple of years, does the Labour spokesman have any grasp of simple arithmetic ? Sorry, we know that he doesn't as he says 1,000 dived by 118 equals 13.
23

Auld Twa,

Edinburgh 30/08/2008 09:37:17
Last line should read 1,000 DIVIDED by 118 equals 13.
24

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 30/08/2008 09:40:21
Labour doing what they do best - nothing as usual. When they had the opportunity to do something about police strength they failed. When it comes to housing prisoners and applying deterrents to law-breaking they failed, miserably as the increasing prison population proves. Blair's empty promises about tackling poverty and crime have been all too evident.

They can never be trusted again with governing Scotland or the UK and hopefully the Glenrothes result will be ample proof that their hollowness is obvious to all, even Labour voters.
25

Toast,

30/08/2008 09:58:35
Does anybody pay the slightest attention to anything that newlabour says any more,why do they bother,be a good dinosaur any just lie down and die
26

shivago8,

livingston 30/08/2008 10:14:25
At least the Nats are getting results a year into their reign,the blew labour did sod all in all the years they were in.
Biggest liars out and they are all rich human beings now as they have squeezed the treasurery with false claims.

Shame on me for saying that they are human beings
27

The Tin Man,

30/08/2008 10:15:56
#24 Richardinho

Don't be so sensible.
28

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 30/08/2008 10:22:58
I have accused Labour of many things in the past, but until now that did not include innumeracy. I apologise for that omission on my part.

ps Remember to donate whatever you can afford to the SNP Glenrothes campaign. It's easy to do it online. I have.
29

Mr. Lachie Todd,

Edinburgh 30/08/2008 11:28:06
The police force has always been a political football that ALL the Scots parties have kicked around for their own ends!

According to the E.U. website every other nation in Europe, including every Continental E.U. nation,
has a national police force. Northern(PSNI) and Southern Ireland(Garda) also have national forces.

Only England and Wales, and Scotland, are missing because collectively they have dozens of local forces, especially England, where some of the smallest counties have their own police?

Some European nations with larger populations than England have always had national police forces and many European nations with similar populations or less than Scotland and Wales have national forces.

Is it not about time that a demographically and geographically small nation like Scotland had a national police force and this would ensure it was properly funded and managed without politicians
forever interfering for their own ends?

It would also save a fortune in public funding on separate forces. Logically, the whole idea of separate police forces, or fire brigades, does not make sense in the 21st Century?

30

The Tin Man,

30/08/2008 15:48:13
#31 connaught boy

Is the price for changing SNP policy still 500,000, or are they offering discounts yet?
31

The Tin Man,

30/08/2008 16:01:51
#31 connaught boy

I see that the SNP voted with the Tories in June, supporting bus de-regulation, despite the 2004? manifesto, supported by the last SNP conference.
32

AM2,

Scotland,UK 30/08/2008 16:14:50
I have to laugh at the SNP's spin. They must take us for fools.

Just 74 more officers across Scotland than the previous year and they're singing from the rooftops about "record police numbers".

The simple fact is that there have been record police numbers in almost every quarter since the year 2000. Moreover, in the period from 2000-07 there were average increases of 150 to 200 officers per year.

The SNP's increase is under half that!

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/TrendPolice
33

AM2,

Scotland,UK 30/08/2008 16:19:44
You have to laugh at the SNP's spin. They must take us for fools.

Just 74 more officers across Scotland than the previous year and they're singing from the rooftops about "record police numbers".

But the simple fact is that there have been record police numbers in almost every quarter since the year 2000.

Moreover, in the period from 2000-07 there were average increases of 150 to 200 officers per year. The SNP's increase is under half that!

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/TrendPolice
34

AM2,

Scotland,UK 30/08/2008 16:20:19
Sorry for the double post.
35

Nikostratos,

30/08/2008 17:19:59
#35#36#37

AM2,
Scotland,UK 30/08/2008 16:20:19
Sorry for the double post.

Thats all right we get to ignore it twice.hehehe







only kidding
36

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 30/08/2008 21:17:30
#34 Gibberish, Tin Man
37

Phil C,

30/08/2008 22:14:05
Who gives a monkey's if it takes 13 minutes or 13 years (apart from 'The Hootsmon')? Labour are fast pedalling to nothingness.

 

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