Police / Police officer felt ‘unsupported and unsafe’ due to low staffing levels, meeting hears
A COUNCILLOR has claimed that a former local police officer felt “unsupported and unsafe” due to staffing levels in Shetland during a shift.
Community safety and resilience board chairman Allison Duncan said the person was a response officer and had been left with a probation officer – with no sergeant or supervisor on the island during the shift.
He told a meeting of the board on Wednesday that the officer has now left the service.
It comes after the Shetland police workforce capacity was highlighted in court earlier in the summer by Sheriff Ian Cruickshank.
The court heard about an incident in which a number of police officers had to attend, stretching capacity in Shetland.
Duncan said the “Shetland people surely deserve a better service”.
Orkney local area commander Scott Robertson, who is currently covering Shetland ahead of a new permanent chief being put in place, said resourcing across the whole public sector right now is a challenge.
“Resourcing in policing in Shetland is a challenge,” he added. “But what I can assure you is that we meet our minimum resourcing levels.”
Robertson said he could not comment on any individual officer.
He added that when there are vacancies in Shetland adverts are placed nationally, and if posts cannot be filled that way then people can be taken on secondment.
Robertson said “if we can’t fill them that way, then we keep trying until we do”.
He added that work continues “tirelessly” in the background to ensure officers’ safety is not comprised and the “good people of Shetland have the service that they deserve”.
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