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Tess White is calling for SNP ministers to support a Local Policing Act, which she said will put more officers on the beat in Angus.

North east Conservative MSP Tess White is urging the SNP to back her party’s plans for a Local Policing Act after new figures show dozens of officers have been lost in Tayside.

Her call comes as statistics from Police Scotland show 840 divisional officers have been lost since the forces merged into one in 2013.

In Tayside, there are now 37 fewer police officers than eight years ago while over the last three months, 11 members of the force have been lost across Tayside.

Ms White says SNP Ministers have severely weakened local policing and failed to act as violent crime has risen in Scotland in recent years.

Scottish Conservative plans for a Local Policing Act would see more police patrolling the streets in Angus and ensure local people have more of a say in decisions relating to the force.

Ms White said: “The SNP have decimated local policing in Angus and the rest of Tayside since they created Police Scotland eight years ago.

“A strong police presence on our streets is crucial in helping communities feel safe. The reality under the SNP is fewer and fewer police are patrolling our communities in Angus.

“I am backing Scottish Conservative plans to introduce a Local Policing Act. This will put more bobbies on the beat, involve local people in policing decisions and guarantee our hardworking officers always have the resources they need. Our officers have gone above and beyond during the pandemic and deserve to see local policing operations fully supported by SNP Ministers.”