Never see bobbies on the beat? Meet PC Plywood... one of 90 wooden cops

Published: 19:31, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 19:34, 17 August 2026 Police Scotland have bought 90 life-sized wooden images of officers as the number of real bobbies on the beat dwindles. The force has spent £6,750 on the ‘pop-up bobs’ in a bid to deter crimes such as speeding. The revelation comes as officer numbers continue to be well below highs of more than 17,000, even with a recent intake of new recruits. MSP Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservatives’ justice spokesman, said: ‘Under the SNP Scotland’s front line of defence against crime is increasingly made up of cardboard. ‘We now know Police Scotland has spent thousands of pounds propping up plywood policemen — and by their own admission, they don’t even know how many of these things are standing around the country, because nobody bothered to keep count. ‘This isn’t community policing, it’s community pretending. You cannot cut-and-paste your way out of a staffing crisis.’ The number of pop-up police officers was uncovered in a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Tories, first reported by the Telegraph. The cutouts are near life-sized, and can look like real officers to those in vehicles passing by. A cutout police traffic officer on patrol in Clydebank Another cardboard cut-out with a speed gun attached to 20mph speed limit sign in  Fortinghall, Perth and Kinross A Police Scotland spokesman insisted that ‘pop-up bobs are an important tool officers can use in communities where there are concerns about speeding’. The force said: ‘They are a visual reminder to road users to drive in a responsible manner and keep within the speed limit. ‘They are often bought by community councils and other local groups but are not a substitute for regular patrols and safety cameras. ‘They are part of the overall strategy to make our roads safe within local divisions. ‘Road safety is an absolute priority for Police Scotland across the country and we make use of a number of different approaches to improve it.’ Official Scottish Government figures for the second quarter of this year, the latest available, said there were 16,402 full-time equivalent officers north of the Border which was the lowest level in two years. But Police Scotland said that these figures, which run until the end of June, did not reflect new recruits which brought it to 16,492. However, that is still far below highs of 17,496 in the first part of 2013. It is also below 16,644 recorded at the end of 2022. Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: ‘Last month we welcomed 169 probationers to Police Scotland and our establishment today sits at 16,492 officers. ‘Retention levels within Police Scotland remain very high compared with other organisations and we continually monitor those leaving the organisation to ensure our future hiring needs ensure sustainability.’ A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are investing record funding of more than £1.7 billion in policing this year, and the Chief Constable has confirmed that this will enable Police Scotland to maintain officer numbers at 16,500 while continuing to prioritise front-line services. ‘Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales, and recorded crime has fallen by almost half since 1991.’