Court warrants up nearly a quarter as police warn of strain on frontline capacity

Figures show Police Scotland received 31,367 warrants in 2025, up from 25,665 in 2023 – a 22 per cent increase. More than 10,000 warrants remain outstanding nationwide.

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said the growing backlog is having a “direct and damaging impact on policing capacity”, while opposition MSPs have warned the figures point to a justice system at “breaking point”.

In a report to the Scottish Police Authority’s policing performance committee, Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton said it is becoming “increasingly difficult” for officers to keep pace with the volume of warrants they are expected to execute. She also cautioned that delays in court proceedings risk undermining witness evidence.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, said: “Each warrant represents officer time abstracted from local policing, prevention work and visible community presence, and instead diverted into repeated attempts to trace, arrest, convey and then repeatedly attend court.

“Frontline officers are already stretched thin. They are being asked to absorb the consequences of systemic delays, non-attendance at court, and wider social instability, all while police numbers have fallen significantly since 2013.

“More warrants, fewer officers, and no additional capacity is an unsustainable equation.

“Without meaningful, systemwide reform and realistic workforce planning, officers will continue to be pulled away from communities – and the public will ultimately pay the price.”

Ms Middleton wrote in her report: “The issuing of a warrant will often result in a hearing being adjourned, and a general duplication of effort to reconvene court proceedings. This increases the number of citations to be served, as well as an increase in the time spent in court for police officers.

“Delays in court procedures can also see evidence diminish over time, such as first-hand witness accounts. It places direct demand on frontline officers who are required to trace accused persons and apprehend them.”

A Crown Office spokesperson said: “Prosecutors seek warrants only where necessary and appropriate, in line with legal requirements and the interests of justice.”