Police union chief: Only a matter of time before an officer is murdered

Shortage of cops 'putting lives at risk'

- BY RYAN THOM

SCOTLAND'S police union chief has warned officers' lives are in danger after a spate of murder bids on cops in the line of duty.

A summer of violence has seen three attempted murders of serving officers attending call-outs.

Two officers were rushed to hospital after a stabbing and a hit-and-run in two separate incidents in July.

In the same month, an officer came face to face with an armed thug outside a shop in Clydebank.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, says it is "only a matter of time" before an officer is killed.

He has raised concerns that Police Scotland is underfunded and an open target, with thugs more and more willing to "have a go".

Kennedy said: "These incidents were serious and the consequences could have been far worse.