Police Scotland officers spend more time plugging gaps in social services than fighting crime, it has been claimed.
Scotland’s police union chief, David Kennedy, warns that the trend means communities are being deprived of “adequate protection from serious crime”.
Around 80% of police call-outs now involve no criminality, with officers’ time increasingly taken up by public safety concerns, wellbeing checks and mental health crises.
Critics insist the cash-strapped force lacks enough “boots on the ground” to meet both its crime-fighting duties and growing non-criminal responsibilities.
They say legislative changes under the SNP Government have expanded duties around child welfare, mental health and diversion from prosecution without increasing officer numbers.
Mr Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file cops, warns officers are too often being pulled from frontline policing to deal with non-criminal incidents.
He said: “Claims that Police Scotland is becoming a ‘nanny force’ reflect a broader frustration with the shifting demands placed on frontline officers.
“The reality is police are increasingly being asked to fill gaps left by an underfunded social care system and stretched public services – officers are responding to more mental health crises, wellbeing checks and vulnerable people incidents than ever before.
“This isn’t a choice – it’s what communities need and what officers are expected to do, often at the expense of traditional crime-fighting and visible neighbourhood policing.”
Mr Kennedy added: “The ‘boots on the ground’ are already stretched to breaking point, with officer numbers 1000 down since 2013.
“While initiatives aimed at supporting children and young people are important, they must not come at the cost of the core policing functions the public expect and deserve.
“Too often, officers are pulled from proactive policing to deal with non-criminal incidents, leaving communities without adequate protection from serious crime.”
Mr Kennedy warns without proper investment and support, the force will be unable to meet rising demand, “let alone maintain the balance between tackling crime and providing necessary social support”.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said the growing burden of non-criminal duties was a “consequence of SNP mismanagement of frontline services”.
He said: “Cuts to health and social work budgets mean officers are increasingly being forced to pick up the slack elsewhere in the system, at a time when cuts to their numbers mean they lack the resources to carry out their own core functions.
“Officers are stretched to breaking point, juggling everything from mental health crises to public safety checks, while serious crimes like violence and theft continue to rise.
“This is not sustainable and the public deserve better.”
Mr Kerr added: “The Scottish Conservatives are committed to ensuring our police have the resources to deliver on their core mission – keeping the public safe.”
The warnings come amid sharp rises in violent crime, sexual offences, drug offences, online child abuse and shoplifting, with teachers and unions warning of near anarchy in some schools.
Meanwhile, public confidence in Police Scotland is falling.
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023/24 found just 45% of adults believed police in their area were doing an “excellent” or “good” job, down from 61% in 2012/13.
Data shows police spend more than 14,000 hours each month dealing with mental health incidents alone, with some officers tied up in A&E for up to 10 hours during a single call-out.
Thousands more hours are devoted to supporting vulnerable adults and children.
The Children and Young people (CYP) team has engaged with over 1 million children via a wide range of school and community based crime prevention projects, initiatives and campaigns.
Thousands of offences are being written off or dealt with by recorded police warnings under a “proportionate response to crime”.
More than 15,000 offenders received warnings between April and September last year, while 17,000 crimes were written off.
Violence in schools has reached record levels, with over 40,000 violent incidents reported in the 2023/24 academic year.
Police Scotland say it is the only force where “traditional policing aspects and wellbeing are side-by-side in our mission”.
A spokesperson said the force had a legislative duty to improve safety and wellbeing, and was focusing on threat, harm and risk, while prioritising the frontline and working with partners to reduce demand.
They added: “At the same time, we’ve been working hard to prioritise the frontline and collaborating with partners to provide better services in the criminal justice system and in response to mental health incidents, while reducing demand on police officers.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said Scotland remained a safe place to live, adding: “We recognise the vital role police officers and staff play in keeping communities safe and helping those in distress. We thank them for their hard work that has helped reduce crime.
“Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with more police officers per capita than England and Wales and recorded crime having fallen by half since 1991.”
