‘Alarming’ new figures show 5% of police officers could retire by June 2026

Police Scotland is facing calls to “up its recruitment” as “alarming” figures showed one in 20 officers are eligible to retire by next summer.

The plea came as concerns were raised about the loss of experience the force could suffer if police men and women with years of experience quit.

The latest figures showed that as of June 30 this year, Police Scotland had 16,427 full-time equivalent officers.

However, with data released under Freedom of Information to the magazine 1919 showing that 914 officers are eligible to retire by the end of June 2026, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said that would represent an “immense loss of experience at a time when the force has never needed it more”.

His concerns were echoed by David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, who told 1919 that “exhausted” officers would opt to leave.

Speaking about those eligible for retirement over the coming months, Kennedy said: “If they felt happy in their job, I think they might stay, but they’re not going to. That’s why they’re leaving – because they’re exhausted.”

He said this would put “further pressure on the service”, saying Police Scotland now “needs to up its recruitment”.

Kennedy added: “You’re also losing vast experience – that’s the big issue.”

As well as the officers eligible for retirement, a further 148 staff at Police Scotland will be due to leave by the end of June 2026.

With this meaning a total of 1,062 staff and officers could leave by that point, Kerr said the potential for “such a significant departure from Police Scotland is alarming in terms of numbers”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “Scottish policing is facing a relentless raft of pressures and this news is just the latest strain.”

Chamberlain, herself a former police officer, said: “There are so few incentives for police officers to stay on in the service.

“They are having to attend increasingly complex and time-consuming cases without the proper support they need. It’s leaving them feeling run ragged.”

She called on the Scottish Government to “urgently heed the warnings of this recruitment crisis and meet the needs of officers and staff through proper resourcing”.

Kerr, meanwhile, accused SNP ministers of a “failure to plan ahead” to deal with police retiring, saying this “looks set to put officers and communities at risk yet again”.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “As in all walks of life and sectors, people are entitled to leave and retire from their jobs.

“We are investing a record £1.64bn in policing this year, an increase of almost £90m from 2024-25.

“Latest figures show there were 16,427 police officers at the end of June and our funding has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout this year.”

Adding the force “has stated that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline”, the Government spokesperson said: “Police Scotland’s three-year business plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation which aims to bring frontline policing to its strongest possible position.”

Deputy chief constable Alan Speirs said: “We keep retirement rates under close review, our recruitment strategy is informed by workforce planning data, with projected leavers and retirements shaping our future hiring needs to ensure sustainability.

“Our recruitment pipeline is healthy and we welcomed 100 new recruits to Police Scotland in July, with an additional 138 expected in September.

“We are planning on recruiting a total of 780 officers over this financial year.”