Jackie Baillie has called out the Scottish Government as the number of police officers in the division dwindles.

New figures from Police Scotland for Quarter 2 of 2024, show just 525 Full-Time Equivalent officers police L Division, covering Argyll and West Dunbartonshire.

The figure has decreased since available records began in 2017, when 566 cops policed the area.

It comes as there are increasing levels of shoplifting and crime.

Police Scotland have also announced plans to close Dumbarton’s long-established divisional headquarters and axe the auxiliary base in Alexandria – which is not open to members of the public.

They have quietly made greater use of Clydebank’s ageing Montrose Street Police Office to base resources.

Police Scotland has endured tough flat cash settlements from the SNP Scottish Government in recent years and has struggled to balance the books.

Pleas for additional cash to shore up the force have fallen on deaf ears.

National figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician, released recently, reveal the number of officers in Scotland had fallen to just 16,207 on June 30 –  a decrease of 148 since March 31.

The number has dropped by almost 400 in just a year and is now lower than when the SNP took power in 2007.

Police Scotland faced controversy in March, when it was revealed that they would not now readily investigate some types of crime.

Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton’s constituency MSP, said: “The Scottish Government has completely failed to support Police Scotland and the latest figures show that officer numbers are going only one way, at a time when we look to rely on them most.

“It is high time the Scottish Government took heed of the plentiful warnings they have been given over dwindling public services and looked to help officers and communities by shoring up frontline policing in Scotland.”