Amid rising classroom violence, police union calls on councillors to end budget threat to officers on campus

Councillors in Dumfries and Galloway will vote on an array of swingeing cuts to education services, including the complete removal of funding for school-based police officers.

Proposals could also see the end of music tuition, school closures and reductions in services and funding for vulnerable children.

With just days left of a public consultation over the proposals, Scottish Police Federation chairman David Threadgold said campus officers should be a council priority.

“The decision needs to be made very carefully,” he said.

“Community engagement, community deterrent, and the consequences of our youngsters not having a positive relationship with the police is one that needs to be considered, not just in the school environment, but for the wider community.”

Mr Threadgold said that, in the 12 years since the founding of Police Scotland, the force has shrunk by 2000 police officers.

Simultaneously, he said, “demand has gone through the roof, there are new crimes, new legislation, and so on.”

“Younger people are getting involved in more serious criminality,” he added.

“The number of kids who've been involved in attempted murders has risen threefold in the last year.”

Across Scotland, the number of school-based officers has been reduced and school engagement with police now is “almost exclusively when there's a problem”.

Proposals being considered by councillors will go to a vote in February.

They include: “Stop our council’s contribution that pays for Police Scotland officers in secondary schools.”

A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Council said the local authority understands residents “care deeply” about services such as the campus police project.

“We have real issues with visibility. We have real issues with relevance in the communities as we become more reactive to crime and less proactive in tackling crime,” Mr Threadgold added.

“We're becoming much more reactive, much less visible, and the police have come to be seen as adversarial, so that we only arrive when there's a problem.

“Removing the police presence from school is only going to exacerbate that problem, because youngsters are so influenced by positive role models - which the police would be - but if we're not there to do that then we’re losing the opportunity for engagement.”

Mr Threadgold said changes to legislation have led to a weakening of the deterrent aspect of law and order.

He said: “When you look at the sentencing guidelines, the deterrent for becoming involved in criminality is becoming less and less.

“Older members of the criminal fraternity are picking up on this and identifying it and using and exploiting youngsters to become involved in the transport of fireworks or for shoplifting because they know the consequences are limited.

“The principle is sound when you think of rehabilitation in the community - but that isn’t happening.”

His comments follow a plea from world-renowned tenor Joshua Ellicott not to cut music tuition.

Mr Ellicott called proposed cuts - in a bid to save £35 million for the council - to music provision “cultural vandalism”.

The council is considering stopping free musical instrument lessons for P5 to S6 youngsters with documents acknowledging this “may mean school bands and choirs could no longer continue, and secondary schools might have fewer options for instruments in music courses”.

The plans also include a suggestion of cutting 15 per cent of the children and families external social work budget.

The document reads: “This means the council would buy and pay less for certain support services for vulnerable children and families.”

Fixed enrolment dates and capacities could be introduced for nurseries, meaning parents who wish to place their child mid-year would be offered a second or third place choice instead.

Councillors will also consider reducing the budget for vulnerable children’s direct payments for families of children with disabilities or additional needs.

One-off emergency grants from the Children and Families service could also be reduced, forcing families to look elsewhere for support.

Increasing school meal prices is also being looked at.

And the council could look at closing small council-run nurseries with 10 or fewer children enrolled, affecting four local nurseries.

Plans may also be taken forward to reassess school catchment areas to move pupils to underused modern buildings.

Options are also being considered to consult on closing schools with 50 or fewer children - which could affect up to 36 schools in the council area.

Craig Hoy, shadow local government secretary, said the removal of campus cops would be a “bitter blow” at a time of rising violence in schools.

“These cops play a hugely important role in providing support to pupils and staff and often end up becoming an integral part of the school,” Mr Hoy said.

“This shocking proposal is part of a wide-range of swingeing cuts being proposed by SNP-led Dumfries and Galloway Council which would have a devastating effect on local services and our rural communities.”

The MSP said councillors on the SNP-led Dumfries and Galloway council should be “demanding” ministers give them a fair funding deal ahead of making any cuts.

The council spokesman encouraged locals to take part in the consultation into the proposals, which ends this week.

“Like councils across Scotland, we are facing rising costs and increasing demand for essential services, and must explore difficult options to deliver a balanced budget,” the spokesman added.

“These proposals have been developed by officers and do not represent final decisions.