Police ‘unable to claim 25,000 days off due to staff shortages’

POLICE Scotland has been accused of exploiting its own officers after it emerged they are owed tens of thousands of days off.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed that, as of March this year, 25,036 rest days were owed to constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors.

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents officers and cadets across the country, said this was equivalent to almost 70 years of time off due, or just under £4.2million in overtime pay.

SPF chairman Brian Docherty said: ‘We completely and utterly deplore the flagrant exploitation of our members in this manner.

‘Police officers are as entitled to rest and time off as any other worker.

‘The fact that so many of our members do not receive their rest points to a service that is woefully under-resourced and overstretched. Quite simply, this is not sustainable.

‘It is time our leaders, both political and police alike, stopped laying platitudes at the feet of police officers and started to do something about a service that desperately needs investment to ensure those charged with protecting the public are themselves protected and fit enough to be able to do so.’

SPF general secretary Calum Steele has said the reason for the build-up is because police bosses ‘are not following the requirements of the process’ that allow staff to claim back their rest days.

On LBC radio, Mr Steele said: ‘The police service is woefully understaffed. It’s overstretched.

‘It’s being asked to do far too much with the resources that are available to it and what these figures show is that it is actually frontline working police officers that are carrying the brunt for the shortfalls that they’ve inherited.’

He said the fact police officers were owed 25,000 days in rest leave was ‘simply frightening’.

‘The notion that any officer dic- tates when he or she is going to come to work is absolute nonsense,’ he added.

Intense demands and pressure on the roster was the reason Police Scotland was unable to accommodate so many officers’ rest days at other times, Mr Steele said, adding: ‘What’s self-evident at this moment in time is that the police service lacks the finance, the money, the people to do all that’s asked of it.

‘The Chief Constable, and indeed others, need to stand up and make that point loudly and clearly. They also have to make sure they put in place structures within the police service to make sure that they’re not overworking their staff.’

The SPF claims the figure rounds up to the equivalent of 150 years’ days off due across the force, if normal shift patterns and annual leave are taken into consideration.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: ‘These figures are simply astonishing.

‘The fact that so many rest days have been cancelled reveals a deeper problem that exists within Police Scotland.

‘It shows the real pressure that the force is under and how this is impacting on individual officers.

‘Police officers have been stretched to breaking point and I think we need to step in to make sure we can relieve that pressure so that they can get their lives back.’

But Peter Blair, Police Scotland’s head of resource management, said: ‘The number of days owed works out at well under two days per officer, therefore it is utterly misleading to suggest that Police Scotland owes its officers many years’ worth of time.’

Under the current system, if an officer is required to work a rest day and they are given at least 15 days’ notice by the force, they can reschedule their day off.

But if staff are given fewer than 15 days’ notice, then officers up to and including the rank of sergeant are entitled to claim overtime.

Mr Blair said the rostering of days off was a local operational matter.

‘Simply frightening’