SNP accused of 'shameful neglect' as scale of asbestos in Scottish police stations revealed
A number of police stations in Scotland also contain Raac, new figures have revealed.
SNP ministers have been accused of “shameful neglect” after it was revealed that almost 200 police stations contain asbestos.
Figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the Scottish Conservatives revealed that 177 police stations across Scotland contain the substance that can cause serious health problems if fibres that are released into the air are breathed in.
The data shows that every region across the country has police stations that contain asbestos. The region with the highest number of asbestos-containing police stations is in Aberdeenshire and Moray, where 25 buildings contain the material. Great Glasgow has 23 buildings with the material and there are 21 in Tayside.
The figures, obtained from Police Scotland, also show four police stations contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which has been shown to be susceptible to structural failure - mostly when buildings have come to the end of their lifespan.
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Two police stations in Tayside contained Raac, as well as one in Edinburgh and another in the Lothians and Scottish Borders region.
The Tories have highlighted that the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), the union representing rank-and-file officers in Scotland, has warned for years about the state of police stations across the country.
It also referenced a 2019 Holyrood committee hearing in which former SPF general secretary Calum Steele described the Ayr station as “probably being carved out of asbestos”.
The Scottish Conservatives’ justice spokesman, Liam Kerr, said the figures should be an “urgent wake-up call” to the Scottish Government.
“He said: “It is utterly appalling and downright dangerous that any of Scotland’s police stations should still contain asbestos.
“The fact the vast majority do across the country is deeply alarming and puts our hardworking officers and staff at great risk.
“These shocking findings are the latest example of the SNP’s shameful neglect of Police Scotland.”
Mr Kerr added: “They have ignored warnings for years about Scotland’s crumbling police estate and left officers and staff working in these buildings to face the consequences.
“This must be an urgent wake-up call for the SNP Justice Secretary to properly fund our police estate and guarantee asbestos will be removed from all of these stations where it is safe to do so as quickly as possible.”
Figures released in April under a previous Freedom of Information request by the Conservatives showed there were 333 stations around the country in need of repairs, with the north-east region being the highest with 53 stations needing work.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Necessary repairs and investment have been made over the years to ensure our buildings have met health and safety requirements.
“In November 2024 the Scottish Police Authority endorsed Police Scotland’s estates masterplan, a 10-year programme to create a modern, fit for purpose estate that best serves our communities and our workforce.
“The aim is to create an estate of strategically based locations or hubs that enable officers to be visible and accessible to local communities, whilst being environmentally sustainable and economically viable for the future.
“Our buildings need to be safe, functional spaces, that are adaptable to meet the changing nature of policing. Modernising our estate will help us improve employee welfare and wellbeing, contributing to our 2030 vision of a thriving workforce.
“As part of our programme to invest in our estate to be retained, by the end of this financial year upgrade work will have been carried out on a significant number of our buildings.”
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
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