Police have been quizzed over response times amid a drop in number of officers working in South Ayrshire.

Councillor Philip Saxton raised the issue with Chief Superintendent Raymond Higgins during a meeting of the services and partnerships performance panel at South Ayrshire Council,

The Troon councillor, who chairs the panel said local people were complaining that the police were not responding quickly enough.

He said: “Sometimes it can be the next day. It has an impact as people don’t report things as they have already experienced the waiting times.”

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Councillor Saxton then referred to the drop number of police in South Ayrshire in the last few years.

He said: “In 2018 South Ayrshire had 97 community police officers, now you have 28. There were 117 response police in 2018, you have now got 108.

"There were 87 special constables in 2014, we have now got 21.

“That is going to have an impact, there is no doubt about it.

“I know you are trying your best and I give thanks to officers who are putting their lives at risk, but we can’t continue this going down and down.

“I understand that you say if there is an incident you will respond. That is okay saying that. But if the response is from Glasgow. or outside a significant area. it takes some time to get there.”

Councillor Saxton pointed out that the figures don’t account for officers who are on leave or sick leave.

“With them the figures will go down even further," he added.

My question is, have you got significant resources to look after the people of South Ayrshire?”

Ch Supt Higgins didn’t question the figures provided, responding: “The straight answer is yes. I am also conscious that this is under constant review and we are looking at different ways of providing that support.

“Police officer numbers have, without question, gone down. What I would say is the way we police is also different now.

“Even pre-Covid had different demands on policing in terms of front-facing people who come into the police office. We don’t see that now, as there isn’t the same requirement.

“Some of those officers and staff may have been redirected elsewhere.”

He also claimed that the pressure on police has been increased by the number of emergency calls being directed to police where others should be involved.

“We seem to be the last stop shop," he added.

He said that calls to the 101 non-emergency number had risen by 30 per cent, while 999 calls had risen by 20 per cent.

“We are becoming the people who are answering the phone," he said.

"About 30 per cent of the calls shouldn’t have been anywhere near the police. It is an unnecessary demand.”

Ch Supt Higgins added that the force had brought in an assessment in order to “make sure an appropriate response is given”, while recognising the limited resources available.

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He gave an example, saying: “If someone is reporting a lower level vandalism that is not ongoing, it is likely, depending on the demand placed on officers, to be deferred to the following day with a diaried appointment.

“We don't hide away. It is a challenge and we need to make the best use of resources.”

There are also crimes that are not best addressed by the deployment of “old fashioned” police going to the doorstep, he said.

He pointed to cyber fraud and the importance of having specially trained officers who can not only look at the reported crime, but help stop similar cases in the future.