New figures released today by the Scottish Government show there were 16,402 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers serving in Scotland on 30 June 2026. Officer numbers fell by 29 officers (-0.2%) compared with the previous quarter and were 25 officers lower than a year earlier. The interactive tracker below lets you explore how Scotland’s police strength has changed over nearly two decades using official quarterly data.
Official source: Scottish Government – Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics: 30 June 2026
Scottish Government data explorer
Scotland Police Strength Tracker
Explore how the number of full-time-equivalent police officers in Scotland has changed since 2007. Move the slider to compare the same quarter across each year.
Explore the historical trend
The chart compares police officer strength at the end of June each year, giving a like-for-like view from 2007 to 2026.
June 2026
16,402
full-time-equivalent police officers
Key points from the series
Highest June figure
17,424
Recorded in June 2010
Lowest June figure
16,207
Recorded in June 2024
Change from the June peak
−1,022
Approximately 5.9% below June 2010
June officer strength by year
Figures are full-time-equivalent officers and are rounded to the nearest whole officer for display.
| Year | FTE officers | Annual change |
|---|
Source: Scottish Government, Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 30 June 2026 . The statistics are based on quarterly returns from Police Scotland’s personnel records. Officers on career breaks are excluded.
What Today’s Police Strength Figures Show
The latest quarterly statistics from the Scottish Government show that Police Scotland employed 16,402 full-time equivalent police officers at the end of June 2026. While the overall workforce remains higher than it was in 2007, officer numbers have continued to edge down compared with both the previous quarter and the same point last year.
According to the official figures, Scotland had 29 fewer officers than at the end of March 2026, representing a quarterly decrease of 0.2%. Compared with June 2025, officer numbers were 25 lower, also a decline of 0.2%. Despite these recent falls, Police Scotland still has 168 more officers than were recorded in March 2007, when the current statistical series began.
Why The Long-Term Trend Matters
Quarterly police strength statistics provide an official snapshot of the size of Scotland’s frontline police workforce. Looking at the data over time helps show how officer numbers have responded to changes in government funding, recruitment and retirements, rather than focusing on a single quarter in isolation.
The interactive above allows you to explore nearly two decades of official data and compare police officer numbers across each year, making it easier to see the longer-term trend behind today’s headline figures.
Source: Scottish Government – Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics: 30 June 2026.
