A few months before Scotland hosts the COP26 UN climate summit, the country’s police force has submitted a proposal to shift its vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles. Police Scotland aims to become the first emergency service with a 100 per cent ecologically friendly fleet. The proposal submitted by the police force includes a new “fleet strategy” to spur this change. The new strategy is predicted to cost around £150m over the next decade. The task would require the decommissioning and replacement of 3,500 vehicles.

Despite general support for the initiative from the Scottish Government, which has been undertaking an ongoing consultation on public sector climate change reduction efforts, some government representatives have expressed concern. Scottish Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Liam Kerr has warned that this plan may not be in line with the current funding level that Police Scotland receives, risking front line resources to enable the fleet change.

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