Police under huge pressure as they respond to calls where people are at 'breaking point', says former officer
HUGE pressure is being put on the police as they respond to "a vast number of calls" where people are at "breaking point", according to a former officer.
Iain Gregory, a retired area commander in Caithness, said last year local police attended 695 "concern for person" incidents – almost two a day.
He said the situation is the same all over Scotland with officers spending " a huge amount of time" on such calls. "We are expecting police officers to become the catch-all for society," said Mr Gregory who is a Thurso community councillor.
He made his comments at the latest meeting of the community council after hearing that 11 concern for person calls were made to the police in Thurso in January.
A Freedom of Information request by a Caithness resident who did not wish to be named showed that in 2022 the police were called to 695 incidents.
The local authority area of Thurso and Northwest Caithness accounted for 379 incidents, while there were 316 in Wick and East Caithness.
Ron Gunn, a Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor, also expressed concern about the high number of calls and said: "There is virtually no-one else but the police to deal with these incidents."
Mr Gregory: "It is the same all over Scotland. The police are having to attend a vast number of calls where people are at breaking point and that clearly places huge pressure on officers." However, he stressed the people concerned are delighted with the response they get from the police.
Another former Caithness officer, Matthew Reiss, said the number of uniformed policemen and women has been reduced but the demands on their time have increased.
Mr Reiss, a Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor, claimed other agencies should be helping out so officers could be deployed on other duties.
Community council chairwoman, Thelma Mackenzie, said plans to reduce the Police Scotland budget would make the situation worse.
Mr Reiss said there was a proposal to cut the budget by eight per cent but understood the Scottish Government may have a rethink about that.
Earlier, Thurso-based police sergeant Stephen Todd said there had been a total of 173 calls to the police in Thurso last month.
The figure included 11 concern for person calls, 10 road traffic incidents, 13 for disturbance and noise, 15 for domestic incidents, four for sudden death, four for theft and six for substance abuse.
As previously reported, the Scottish Government has said in the coming financial year, the budget for direct investment in mental health support and services will be £290 million, an increase of 139 per cent since 2020/21, subject to approval of the Scottish Parliament.
"This represents an increase of £38 million on the revised 2022/23 budget position, following the emergency budget review, " said mental wellbeing minister Kevin Stewart.