Police Scotland has announced that 29 police stations are at risk of closure as part of cost-cutting measures to address a budget shortfall. Among the buildings facing potential sale are Fettes and Leith stations in Edinburgh, and Glasgow's Stewart Street station. Fourteen of the stations currently have no public access, with officers and staff to be relocated to other sites if closures proceed.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham stated that the force's estate is large and ageing, and 'no longer fit for purpose'. He emphasised that financial savings from property sales would be reinvested into policing services. 'Our presence in communities is not defined by buildings but by the officers and staff who work there,' he said, adding that most workers would move no more than four miles from their current workplace.
Stations affected include Castlemilk, Saracen, Bishopbriggs, Milngavie, Gorbals, Baillieston, Pacific Quay, Paisley, Ferguslie Park, Greenock, Dumbarton, and Alexandria in the west; Balerno, Fettes, Leith, West End, Portobello, and Oakley in Edinburgh and Fife; and Muir of Ord, Mastrick, Rosemount, Seaton, Whinhill, and Torry in the Highlands and North East.
Unison's Police Scotland secretary David Malcolm criticised the plan, calling it a 'cost-cutting measure' that 'might deliver balanced books, but it won't deliver better policing'. He argued that the force should seek long-term investment instead of 'short-term asset stripping'. The announcement comes shortly after Chief Constable Jo Farrell requested an extra £128 million to cover recruitment and a 7% pay award, warning that officer numbers could drop by up to 1,500 without additional funding.
In Paisley, where the police station is among those threatened, local resident Joe Wallace expressed concern. The 68-year-old said the closure could delay police response times, noting that officers travelling from Glasgow or Greenock would take too long. 'If they are coming to incidents here and it is going to take 20 minutes, whatever happened could have been done in that time,' he said, adding that it might increase fear among older residents.
