Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has ordered police chiefs to keep recruiting more officers, despite fears that the policy could damage other police services.
The Scottish Government has put £96 million extra funding in to put 1000 extra officers on the beat, a key election promise.
But with huge spending cuts looming, Scotland’s chief constables are concerned the drive to reach police number targets will hit other areas of police work.
The president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Chief Constable Patrick Shearer, warned of concerns over “the sustainability of these numbers” in the light of anti-cipated budget cuts.
He said, “Police officers have different employment arrangements from other staff members, which means if and when the cuts bite… it will take time to reduce numbers, meaning savings will have to be made disproportionately on other areas.
When Mr MacAskill met chief constables “scaling back” on officer recruitment was discussed, but Mr Shearer said that was “firmly rejected” by the government.
In a statement to MSPs on Wednesday, Mr MacAskill told police chiefs the additional cash for recruitment was for that purpose alone.
He said, “This government is providing the costs of recruitment, training, and salaries of the 1000 extra officers extra funding specifically to recruit 1000 extra officers and it is not be used for any other purpose.
“That has always been our position, one we laid out in each budget passed by this parliament.
“It is a position I laid out in public and in private and it is the position I laid out when I met chief constables on January 18.””Dire warnings”Mr MacAskill said chief constables aired their concerns over future budgets in the light of “dire warnings” from London, adding, “Like me, they are worried.”
However, until the outcome of next month’s emergency Budget and the comprehensive spending review in the autumn, the current policy stands.
Mr MacAskill said, “Decisions on the future budget for the police in Scotland will be taken once we know the scale of the Westminster cuts and the effect that has on the Scottish budget.”
Grampian Chief Constable Colin McKerracher accused civil servants of making “threats” to withhold £40 million of funding if forces reduced police numbers.
Tayside Police has said plans to deal with budget cuts are being drawn up and Fife police this week said they intend to stick to government recruitment targets.
Scottish Labour claimed ministers were caught “red-handed trying to move the blame for their poor financial planning.””Caught red-handed”Justice spokesman Richard Baker said, “This episode shows both senior police officers and civil servants have been put in an impossible position by SNP ministers.
“For two years our police forces have made it clear they can’t maintain the SNP’s pledge of 1000 extra police under the budgets already allocated by the SNP.”
He added, “The SNP crow about 1000 recruits funded by the Scottish Government but senior officers know the main driver of police number rises has been local authorities.
“The minister needs to agree to publish a new projection of future police numbers so we can get an accurate, independent forecast of what they will be.
“The SNP has been caught red-handed trying to fiddle the figures on police numbers and brought to book by senior police officers.”
Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown said, “The cabinet secretary did not clarify whether police chiefs were told they should hold off reducing staff until after the spending review.
“This was the key question on whether the SNP Government were using the phasing of funding for extra police officers to blame other people for their difficulties.
“The cabinet secretary needs to stop dodging and tell the truth about his actions.”
Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said, “The additional 1000 police officers was a concession by the SNP Government to the Scottish Conservatives in the 2008 budget.
“These officers are in place but this must still be the case at the end of this parliament. These numbers must be maintained.”