Public views of Police Scotland
A majority of the Scottish public think that the creation of Police Scotland will make no difference to the way their local area is policed (55%). However, around one in four think that local policing will get worse as a result of the merger (24%) while just over one in ten think it will improve (12%). Our most recent Scottish Public Opinion Monitor, conducted in April and May, found that awareness of Police Scotland is high, with three quarters of the Scottish public having heard of Police Scotland (76%). Around a quarter have not heard of Police Scotland, with awareness lowest among young people (45% of 18-24s have not heard of Police Scotland) those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland (36%) and women (30%).
The research also suggests that public opposition to the merger of Scotland’s police forces has softened with 32% of the Scottish public now opposing merger compared with 54% in August 2011.
