POLICE officers in east and west Scotland took more than 20 minutes to respond to almost 1400 emergency call-outs last year which involved “an immediate or apparent threat to life or a serious crime in progress”.
Figures obtained by the Scottish LibDems through freedom of information showed the slow responses were among 4000 longer than 10 minutes in 2015-16.
No data was available for Northern Scotland.
Amid reports of Police Scotland shedding 300 officers to cope with cash problems, LibDem Justice spokesman Liam McArthur said ministers must end the “budget crisis”.
He said: “Week by week we see reports of the damage caused by SNP centralisation of the police. From officers forced to buy their own kit in charity shops to the transfer of uniformed officers into back-room jobs. Now we see response times that will cause concern for many. These problems are bad news for Police Scotland and the communities they serve.”
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