Just last week rank and file police officers rejected the SNP, Labour and Conservative plans to create a national police force.

I agree with the police officers. The plans to scrap our local police forces will cost £92million and it has been estimated, could cut 3,000 front line police officers – we cannot afford this proposal.

At a time when we need to save money, this proposal doesn’t make sense. The Scottish Liberal Democrats want to help the local police and people work together to cut crime. However, under the plans supported by Labour, the SNP and Conservatives every police officer would be allocated according to national directions not local policing need. That could mean your local police seeing dozens of officers sent to support other areas hundreds of miles away.

I’m concerned that by creating a single national police force, the chief constable will come under the political control of a government minister who will tell them what to do and will lose their links with local communities.

For 150 years people in this democracy have worried about the government gaining political operational control over policing. We need a police service that is responsive to local needs not one which is subject to central diktat and centrally imposed targets.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats want to keep policing local, help the local police to work with the local community and to keep the number of officers high.

For more information check out the campaign on Facebook.