South Scotland MSP Sharon Dowey has expressed her concern over the record-low level of police officers in Scotland since 2007.

Recent Police Scotland statistics show that there are currently 16,207 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers as of June 30.

This is a decrease of 148 police officers since March 31 and 392 less compared to June 30 last year.

Dowey believes that this could put those living in Ayrshire at a greater risk of being victims of crime and demonstrates that funding the police is not a priority for the government.

She said: “It's concerning to see that the number of bobbies on the beat are now at their lowest level since 2007.

“Protecting the public here in Ayrshire and across Scotland must be an absolute priority, and the SNP Government needs to step up in providing sufficient resources to our police force.

“Without having enough police officers, this provides an additional burden on the already overstretched police force.

"Our police officers go above and beyond to protect the public but there is only so much they can do with one hand tied behind their back.

“These figures should be a wake-up call for the SNP who must do more to support Police Scotland to recruit and train new officers.”

Deputy chief constable Alan Speirs said: “We have set out plans to recruit over 1,300 new officers in 2024/25, the highest number Police Scotland has recruited in a single year.

"Last month, we welcomed over 250 new probationary constables into Police Scotland and our officer strength is now around 16,400.

“The chief constable has been clear that increasing officer numbers is a focus and, at the same time, we are pressing change that strengthens the frontline by redirecting resources or delivering efficiencies.”