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Serious offences including suspected murder, rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking are among the more than 10,000 arrest warrants in Scotland currently outstanding, according to newly released figures. The statistics, published by Police Scotland, show there were 10,064 outstanding arrest warrants as of the start of September. Seven of the warrants for murder, five for attempted murder and 40 for rape. Some 605 warrants were for the supply or use of drugs, 72 were for domestic abuse and 1,253 were for assault. Police Scotland arrest warrants are issued by a court when there are grounds to believe a person must be brought before the court to answer a criminal complaint, or their address is unknown. Scottish Labour said it came at the same time as police numbers in Scotland were falling, down from just over 17,400 full-time equivalent officers in 2020 to 16,427 this year. Pauline McNeill, the party's justice spokesperson, said: “It is deeply concerning that more than 10,000 arrest warrants remain outstanding, including for some of the most serious offences including murder and rape. Read more: Three men consent to extradition to Canada in death of restaurant owner case “Not maintaining police numbers results in failures like this. Officers are already under intense demands with an increasing workload, with this backlog heaping further pressure on an already overstretched service. “The SNP have failed Scotland's communities and police officers by allowing Police Scotland to shrink when the force is already at breaking point. Ministers must take urgent action to address the concerns of frontline officers and staff who have been sounding the alarm about the service being hollowed out. She added: “Scottish Labour would restore confidence in our policing and justice system, create safer communities, and prevent our young people from being drawn into crime in the first place.” A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “All arrest warrants are prioritised according to threat, risk and harm. We deploy local and national specialist resources and intelligence techniques to locate those who pose the greatest risk of harm and threat to communities and apprehend them. Read more: 'Expensive' Scotland’s sentencing council branded 'irrelevant' as costs soar by 355% “Some individuals will have committed multiple offences, and have more than one arrest warrant issued against them by the courts. Those facing arrest should be aware we'll follow all lines of inquiry and use all resources to locate them as soon as possible.” Subscribe today to the Scotsman’s daily newsletter A Scottish Government spokesperson said the execution of warrants was a matter for Police Scotland, which remained focused on the investigation of crime and keeping communities safe. “Our police perform a vital role keeping Scotland’s communities safe, which is why we have invested a record £1.64 billion for policing in 2025/26,” they added. “Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and this continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime falling by more than half since 1991.” It comes as newly released figures show more than 1,700 officers of all ranks left the force between July 2023 and the same month this year. The statistics, released under freedom of information legislation, reveal that 717 officers have taken early retirement since 2023, with 225 leaving for other jobs. Some 117 officers retired on medical grounds, while a further 75 transferred to other forces.
