Police Target Exceeded

The number of police officers in Scotland continues to exceed the target set in 2007, figures have revealed today.

The latest quarterly strength statistics show that there were 17,436 police officers on December 31, 2012, an increase of 7.4 per cent or 1,202 officers since March 31, 2007.

Commenting on the figures, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "These statistics show that the target to ensure 1,000 extra police officers is continuing to be exceeded and that is great news for communities across Scotland.

"Our additional officers are keeping our streets safe and have helped reduce recorded crime to its lowest level for 37 years. Meanwhile the crime clear-up rate is at its highest in more than 30 years and confidence in the police is also high and increasing."

Women More Concerned With Appearance Than Career Prospects

One in three single ladies are more concerned about their appearance than their career prospects, research has revealed. When asked to consider their priorities in life, 41% of girls aged 18 to 25 admit they spend more time thinking about what they look like than working their way up the career ladder.

Indeed, one in five women admits prospects, promotions and pay rises mean less to them than having perfect hair, clothes and make up.

And almost a quarter of women of this age would rather look like Frankie Sandford from The Saturdays than be as successful as Karren Brady.

A spokeswoman for John Frieda’s Precision Foam Colour, which conducted the study of 539 single girls, said: "It stands to reason that women of a young age will be more concerned about their looks, friendships and socialising than other more serious aspects.

"As a young woman appearance is incredibly important – from looking fantastic for a night on the town, to checking pictures on Facebook, it is the thing at the forefront of these girls minds.

"The other thing to consider is that for some girls, the prospect of owning a house, settling down, and paying into pensions are seemingly unachievable at present, so they’re things which are easy to forget about."

Five Illegal Workers Arrested In Aberdeen

Two shops in Aberdeen have been found employing five illegal workers following a UK Border Agency operation.

Acting on intelligence officers targeted two shops, Discount Stores and American Candy Co, on Union Street, Aberdeen, on 28 February.

After checking the immigration statuses of staff, officers discovered five Pakistani men, aged 23 to 28, who were working illegally. Two of the men were arrested in the American Candy Co and the other three in the Discount Store. It is believed that the men worked between both shops and lived at shared accommodation in the Cornhill area of Aberdeen.

All five are currently in detention, pending their removal from the UK.

The businesses, which were closed as a result of all the staff being arrested, will be served with a civil penalty notice for employing the illegal workers.

If the owners are unable to provide evidence that legally required checks were carried out before giving the workers a job - such as asking for a passport or a Home Office document - a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker will be imposed.

(GK)