David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, has called for investment in frontline policing as staffing shortages make it hard for officers to respond.
News Ryan Carroll Reporter and Ruth Suter 04:30, 18 Apr 2025
A police union has warned “more lives are at risk” as cops struggle to stop escalating gang wars in Scotland.
Feuds between rival mobs have seen properties torched, businesses destroyed and homes shot at in recent weeks.
The turf wars initially began in Edinburgh before spilling to the west of the country earlier this month.
Cops say they have visited over 100 homes and seized almost 700 hours of CCTV footage amid the ongoing violence as they bid to crackdown on the chaos.
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, called for urgent investment in frontline policing to tackle the growing gangland activity.
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He said: “Police officers are doing all they can, but the simple truth is that there are not enough officers to meet the rising demand.
“Officers are under immense pressure, with chronic staffing shortages making it harder to respond proactively and disrupt gang activity before it escalates. Unless investment is made in frontline policing, we fear this trend will continue - and that more lives will be at risk as a result.”
On Wednesday, we reported a steep increase in the number of individuals considered to be in danger in Scotland.
According to the stats obtained by the Record through a Freedom of Information request, 30 “threat to life” warnings were issued in the last two years.
Just five people were issued with the notices - also known as Osman warnings - in 2023 but numbers soared to 26 last year.
An Osman is issued by cops if they have knowledge that there is a real and immediate threat that a person may be killed.
Kennedy said the numbers are “deeply concerning”.
He continued: “These figures are deeply concerning and speak to the growing scale and seriousness of organised criminal violence in Scotland’s major cities.
“Osman warnings are not issued lightly — they are a stark indicator that someone’s life is at real risk. The fact we’re seeing such a sharp increase should ring alarm bells across the country.”
Terrifying scenes unfolded after cronies of Edinburgh mob boss mark Richardson ripped off a Dubai-based Glasgow hood in a drug deal
The gangster, known only as Mr Big, is said to be orchestrating the violence from the Middle East.
He has recently put Richardson associates, the Daniel crime clan, at the top of his hit list - firebombing two of their family homes earlier this week.
Steven “Bonzo” Daniel’s plush detached house on John Marshall Drive in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, was firebombed at 12.50am on Sunday.
At the same time, a bungalow belonging to the hood’s uncle Norman “Snudge” Daniel was targeted on nearby Colston Drive.
And last weekend, a 72-year-old woman and 12-year-old boy linked to the family were rushed to hospital after thugs kicked in a door at Egilsay Crescent in Glasgow’s Milton in search of another senior family member.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are investing a record £1.62 billion for policing in 2025/26 - an increase of £70 million on 2024/25.
“Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.
“Recruitment and deployment are operational matters for the Chief Constable, who has the flexibility to develop her workforce to best keep our communities safe.”
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Police Scotland responded to the federation’s claims by pointing out that 123 new recruits would be ready for operational deployment on 16 June, taking , the total number of officers to 16,631.
They referred the Record to earlier public appeals for information regarding an attack at a property and fire-raising incidents in Glasgow this month.
