Police officers will swap old-style stations for ‘community touch-points’ in libraries, supermarkets and shopping centres as part of a radical shake-up of the force, it has been revealed.
Under the biggest reshuffle since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, frontline officers will be based in ‘deployment hubs’, either in existing police stations that have been remodelled or in out-of-town warehouse units .
While on duty, officers will be deployed to ‘touch-points’ at surgeries or drop-ins in community centres, offices within town halls or other public buildings, or even dedicated shop-front premises.
The changes are set out in Police Scotland’s estates masterplan, which outlines how it will deal with its ageing buildings.
Last night Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This signals another death knell for community policing.
‘Savage and sustained SNP cuts mean the idea of people having easy access to their local police is going to disappear altogether.
Under the biggest reshuffle since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, police officers could be set to swap old-style stations for ‘community touch-points’
‘Deployment hubs’ could be based in police in old-style stations which have been re-modelled or in out-of-town warehouse units
‘Stations are part of the fabric of our communities and are an important reminder of the visible police presence in local areas.’
But Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland argued that restructuring the estate would actually improve public access to police services.
He said: ‘The traditional sandstone police stations on the high street may no longer exist, but the police officers who worked in those buildings will absolutely still exist.
‘And although we may move to an out-of-town hub, communities will absolutely still be able to access policing services through different touch-points.’
Mr Sutherland added: ‘People today engage with policing in a different way to the past. More people use online services and speak to our contact centres by telephone. Physical footfall into police stations continues to drop … moving forward it’s about actually being visible where the public already are.’
Under the new model, frontline officers – and CID detectives – will begin and end their shifts at the deployment hubs, which will have lockers, rest rooms, computers, briefing rooms and parking for police vehicles.
While on duty, officers will be deployed to ‘touch-points’ at surgeries or drop-ins in community centres, offices within town halls or other public buildings, or even dedicated shop-front premises
Officers will go to ‘touch-points’ where the public can report crimes, and detectives can interview witnesses.
Mr Sutherland said restructuring will also benefit staff. He said being a police officer ‘can be difficult and traumatic’ and ‘the better our staff feel about their environment and coming to work, the better the service they provide for the public’.
The plan is expected to cost around £500million, some of which could be raised by selling off the force’s current buildings. It is due to start being implemented as early as next year.
The Scottish Government said ‘despite unprecedented challenges to public finances’ its draft budget for 2025-26 ‘includes a record £1.62billion for policing’.
