Row over 'broken' police pledge

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The Scottish Government has been accused of breaking a manifesto pledge to recruit 1,000 extra police officers.

The SNP election manifesto said the party would "set out plans in our first budget for 1,000 more police".

But the SNP now says it will create the equivalent of 1,000 new officers by redeploying existing staff as well as through recruitment.

Tory leader Annabel Goldie has written to First Minister Alex Salmond asking him to clarify the situation.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill told BBC Scotland's Politics Show that an announcement on the issue would be made in the coming weeks as part of the budget process.

He said: "I think you can rest assured that it is going to be good news and I believe it will be uniformly welcomed by everybody."

Fundamentally it's about redeployment and using our police resources appropriately Kenny MacAskillJustice secretary

He said there had been more police officers than ever before in Scotland at the end of the previous Scottish Executive.

But he added: "The problem is we had less officers deployed in our communities.

"We need to make sure that the real role of our police officers is to protect, guard and serve our communities, not process, log and then file information.

"That's why it's not just about recruitment, which is a major part of it, it's also about retention and fundamentally it's about redeployment and using our police resources appropriately."

The justice secretary insisted: "We will deliver an additional thousand officers into our communities."

'Simple issue'

But Ms Goldie said: "The SNP election manifesto could not have been clearer.

"The pledge was not to reassign existing officers, but to recruit 1,000 more."

She claimed that unless the government could say when the current force of about 16,200 officers would be increased to about 17,200 it would stand accused of a "cynical breach of trust".

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie also accused the SNP of breaking their promise.

What we have very clearly in our mind is a promise from government to increase the number of police officers by 1,000 Joe GrantScottish Police Federation

She said: "Communities across Scotland are fed up of being let down by Alex Salmond.

"The SNP cannot foot the bill for their own pledge to employ 1,000 extra police officers.

"This is a very simple issue, the SNP have promised to employ 1,000 more police. Will the number of police rise or not?"

Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Margaret Smith said: "The SNP manifesto was crystal clear. These police officers would be employed, they would be new, they would be additional and there would be 1,000 of them."

The views of opposition politicians were echoed by Joe Grant of the Scottish Police Federation.

Mr Grant said: "What we have very clearly in our mind is a promise from government to increase the number of police officers by 1,000.

"That means by May 2011 police officers, and I think the public, expect there to be 17,235 police officers in Scotland."