AN MSP from Greenock is demanding more bobbies on the beat in Inverclyde after figures showed its division has lost almost 70 officers since the force was centralised.

Shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene of the Conservatives says his party's plans for a Local Policing Act would reverse the trend.

It has been brought forward after statistics revealed that scores of officers have been lost in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Policing Division since Police Scotland was established in 2013, unifying eight regional forces into one country-wide organisation.

Mr Greene said: "Our hard working officers on the frontline in Inverclyde deserve to be fully resourced by the SNP government.

“Instead, since the creation of Police Scotland they have decimated local policing, with violent crime increasing as a result.

“This must be reversed immediately, which is why I am pushing for a Local Policing Act to put bobbies back on the beat and increase their visible presence.

“This will ensure more police are patrolling our streets, give our community more of a say in policing decisions, and guarantee proper investment in supporting our officers.”.

In Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, a total of 68 officers have been lost in the period from December 2013 to June this year, with the ranks reducing by 678 to 610.

Mr Greene says his party's plans for a Local Policing Act would see more police officers patrolling the streets of Inverclyde.

He believes it would give communities more of a say on decisions and ensure that frontline officers are always fully resourced.

But the Scottish Government has today hit back over the criticism and defended its record on the workforce.

A spokesperson for justice secretary Keith Brown says thousands of police officer posts have been slashed by the Tories over the last 10 years.

He said: “This is another classic example of rank hypocrisy from the Tories, as the UK Government slashed police officers by 20,000 over the last decade.

“Police Scotland recruitment continues to be strong with officer numbers in Scotland significantly above the level inherited in 2007.

“Despite UK Government austerity we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17 and have invested more than £10bn in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.

“Officer numbers are also favourable relative to elsewhere in the UK with around 32 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 23 officers per 10,000 of the population in England and Wales.

“Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who are always dedicated to community and response policing, but one of the benefits of Scotland’s national police service is that it allows local divisions to access national and regional resources depending on demand.”