Two dedicated police officers will be based at one of Scotland’s biggest hospitals amid growing ‘violence’ and ‘disorder’.
The so-called campus cops will be located at the A&E department of Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI), near the city centre, to ‘detect and deter crime’.
They will carry out patrols in the hospital and surrounding grounds amid concern over thuggery against officers and medical staff.
The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in the south of Glasgow also has police officers based on-site.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), representing rank-and-file officers, said the move was ‘positive’ but stressed officers were not ‘healthcare professionals’.
He said: ‘Violence, disorder and vulnerability are increasingly common in these settings, and having a visible policing presence can help deter offending behaviour and provide reassurance to frontline NHS staff.
‘We also recognise the benefits highlighted from similar deployments at the QUEH, particularly where this can reduce some demand on local policing teams and allow for a more consistent and informed response within the hospital environment.
‘However, it is important to be clear that this development will not address the wider systemic pressures facing policing.’
The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) has police officers based on-site
Police Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said there will be two full-time campus cops at the GRI.
At a Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch meeting last Thursday (March 12), officers said as a result of police being located at the hospital, response units will not need to attend the hospital as regularly as they currently do.
The decision also follows ‘positive feedback’ the force has received regarding the role of campus officers at the QEUH in responding to crime and reducing demand on local officers.
Chief Superintendent for Greater Glasgow Policing Division Emma Croft said: ‘Police Scotland and NHS Scotland have agreed to place two full-time campus police officers at the Emergency Department of Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
‘This decision has been made following positive feedback on the role of campus officers at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in responding to crime in the hospital and, in turn, reducing demand on Local Policing colleagues in the Greater Glasgow area.
‘Officers at Glasgow Royal Infirmary will work closely with hospital staff and on-site security to detect and deter crime, carry out proactive patrols in the hospital and surrounding grounds and deliver preventative and educational learning to hospital staff to ensure a safe environment for patients and staff.’
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said: ‘The safety of our patients, staff and visitors remains central to everything we do, and we are committed to ensuring a secure environment across all our sites.
‘Working in partnership with Police Scotland, two dedicated police officers will now be based within the Emergency Department at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and available across the wider hospital campus.
‘Their presence will enhance our approach to preventing and addressing incidents on site, supporting our teams through both proactive engagement and responsive action whenever required.
‘These officers will work closely with colleagues across the hospital to help maintain a safe and reassuring environment for everyone who uses our services.
To detect and deter crime campus cops will be located at the A&E department of Glasgow Royal Infirmary
‘We would like to thank all our staff who work to deliver quality care across the GRI and all NHSGGC hospitals.’
Commenting further, Mr Kennedy said: ‘Hospital watches – where officers are required to remain with vulnerable individuals for extended periods – and the significant volume of mental health-related incidents will continue to place substantial demand on policing resources.
‘These issues often require prolonged police involvement due to gaps elsewhere in the system, and the introduction of campus officers does not remove that burden.
‘Police officers are not healthcare professionals, yet they are increasingly being asked to fill that space, particularly in relation to mental health crises.
‘Until there is meaningful investment in health and social care provision, including appropriate pathways for those in crisis, officers will remain stretched and diverted away from core policing duties.’
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘While this move will hopefully give greater protection to staff, patients, and visitors, it is a damning reflection of rising violence in hospitals that this step has had to be taken.
‘It will also put additional pressure on Police Scotland who are already overstretched due to years of savage SNP cuts.
‘The Scottish Conservatives would ensure there is a zero-tolerance policy towards those who behave aggressively in our hospitals and give police the resources they need to keep people safe.’