Police chiefs have warned of reduced cover across Aberdeen – with dozens of positions going unfilled and a crackdown on overtime.
Superintendent Neil McDonald said “hard decisions” are being made as part of efforts to “further refine” services and balance the books.
And he cautioned Aberdonians there will be “an impact on what they can do” when it comes to fighting crime.
This might mean cutting back on patrols around the city, or taking longer for some 999 calls to get a response.
Council chiefs were told the rising cost of living – as well as other factors – have prompted an urgent need to “modernise” the service and “prioritise issues”.
A backdrop in recruitment and an increase in retirement has also led to the loss of 39 positions across police workforce in the north-east.
Police face ‘undoubted challenges’
While Supt McDonald said their share of the budget was “better” this year, it is still not enough to sustain the same level of resources to guard the city as in previous years.
“We are building a service model that reflects that [reduced] level,” he added.
“Hard choices have been taken to further refine our service to prioritise and maintain operational policing as we respond to high inflation and the cost of living crisis.
“The issue with reduced numbers is the impact on proactivity and what we can do that’s additional to the core demand upon us.
“We need to consider where we can work differently and collaborate more to ensure we identify risk and response appropriately with a slightly reduced workforce.”
Supt McDonald explained to the communities, housing and public protection committee that staff shortages have been previously covered with officers working “significant” overtime.
But now finances are so tight that this won’t be possible.
He warned: “Overtime costs must return to normal levels for us to remain within budget.
“Every single call will be dealt with, but the manner in which we deal with it is what we have to try to modernise and perhaps manage expectation.
“This could mean leaving officers to prioritise the calls where people need to be seen or where visible presence in the community would have an impact.
“But none of this will be done without consultation with [the council] and the public so people understand the impact.”
New Northfield hub to help tackle antisocial behaviour long-term
Now, police are looking at different ways to keep the community safe while working with limited cash at hand – such as building a new hub for youngsters in Northfield.
The hub, which will be set up near the one in the Tesco store in Sheddocksley, is hoped to be a “long-term” solution to antisocial behaviour issues in the area.
It’s part of ongoing work to identify “hot spots” across the city and crack down on young people causing trouble by offering more support.
Supt McDonald said this is a needed investment, which would hopefully reduce the number of incidents and ease the pressure on their resource in future.
‘We remain committed to ensuring the public’s safety’
Some members of the committee raised concerns the revised system of work could mean some of the “smaller crimes” in the city are not handled properly.
However, Supt McDonald reassured councillors they will continue to deliver high-standard service and stressed their successes with projects Protector and County Lines.
He said: “There are always better ways of working, we should always be looking to modernise and we need to manage the demand better.
“I can reassure everybody that while we may have to look at doing things differently, we are absolutely committed to ensuring our frontline resources are supported and our community remains safe.”
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