Sarwar pledges named community police officer for every council ward in Scotland

Mr Sarwar insisted his party would “get police back on Scotland's streets” if it wins the Holyrood election in May.

He said all 355 wards would have an officer within local divisions who is tasked with building relationships in the community and gathering intelligence on crime by the end of the next parliamentary term.

He also promised to restore the specific role of crime prevention officer, ensuring community policing teams have resources dedicated to working directly with schools, retailers and community groups.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, described the announcements as “a start in the right direction”, adding: “We have to have policing back in our communities, because that’s where crime starts.”

He told journalists: “We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We previously had this before in some of the forces before we became Police Scotland, so we know it works.”

READ MORE: Scottish Election 2026: Anas Sarwar promises ‘big change’ if Labour wins Holyrood elections

Speaking at his party’s policy conference in Edinburgh, Mr Sarwar said a government led by him would free up 360 police officers for frontline duties.

He said this would be achieved through cutting absence rates and reducing the amount of time officers spend stuck in the court system, among other measures.

A new trauma support service would help support police officers, the Scottish Labour leader said, while the launch of a dedicated mental health emergency response service would ease the pressure on the force.

“When the Scottish Government first announced the centralisation of policing in Scotland, ministers promised that communities would be ‘at the heart’ of services,” Mr Sarwar said.

“But in 2025, we now have fewer officers than when Police Scotland was first established in 2013. That is a shocking indictment of the SNP’s failure to live up to that earlier pledge to put communities first.

“When I speak with communities across Scotland, one of the most common things I am told by people is that they used to know the names of their local police officers.

“Scottish Labour will restore community policing and get police back on Scotland’s streets. We will free up 360 police officers to join divisions on the frontline of policing in Scotland, cutting thousands of wasted hours in A&E departments and in our courts.”

The party said it would also introduce a statutory requirement for councils to be consulted on local policing plans and to take evidence from local policing divisions.

It came as Mr Sarwar sought to frame the Holyrood election as a choice between him or the SNP’s John Swinney.

“It’s John Swinney or me, it’s the past or the future,” he said. “It’s chaos on our streets and police officers in court rooms and hospitals with John Swinney, or police officers on the street and backed to fight crime with me. That’s the choice in six months’ time.”

He said Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would simply “prey on the failures of the SNP and use them to promote their politics of division and hate”.

SNP MSP George Adam said: "With less than six months to go until the election, it's clear Anas Sarwar has no new ideas for Scotland. Instead, he talks down our hard-working NHS, teachers and police, while John Swinney delivers for communities across the country.”