Scot Lib Dems respond to nationwide police station closures

Responding to the announcement by Police Scotland that 29 police stations are at risk of closure as it seeks to raise funds to plug a budget gap, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

"These closures will be yet another blow to community policing for a service that is being forced to take extremely tough decisions.

"While the police will always have operational decisions to take about which parts of their estate are fit for purpose and have a role to play in the future, it would be utterly naive to pretend that budget decisions made by SNP ministers have not played a significant part in leading the service down this road.

  "From cuts to capital budgets to the government's failure to get to grips with the presence of dangerous concrete, the police are facing up to having to do more with less.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a properly resourced police service that is ready and able to operate in communities across Scotland."