£4k a week overtime bill at M9 scandal police call unit
POLICE have spent about £4,000 a week on overtime payments for a troubled call-handling centre.
The Bilston Glen unit in Midlothian – which was at the centre of the scandal over the M9 tragedy – took on the work of other facilities in Stirling and Glenrothes in April 2015.
Weeks later, car crash victim Lamara Bell was left dying by the roadside for three days due to call-handling failures.
Since April 2015 more than £350,000 has been paid to police staff working overtime to fill rota gaps and deal with the increased demand – an average of £4,000 a week.
Last night the Scottish Tories, who obtained the data under freedom of information laws, said it proved the centre had inadequate resources from the start and was another example of poor forwardplanning by the SNP.
Justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: ‘Everyone accepts some overtime payments will be necessary in facilities the size of Bilston Glen.
‘However, the sheer scale of these points to a major problem with staffing and resources there. If the Scottish Government had ensured these facilities were properly staffed to begin with, there wouldn’t be a requirement for additional payments of this magnitude.’
Police Scotland figures reveal overtime payments at Bilston Glen reached £289,728 in 2015-16, and £60,852 so far in 2016/17.
Mother-of-two Miss Bell, 25, and her partner John Yuill, 28, died after a crash on the M9 near Stirling as they returned from a camping trip on July 5, 2015. Mr Yuill died in the accident but a call from a member of the public who used the 101 nonemergency number was not properly logged, leading to a three-day delay in finding Miss Bell, who died four days later in hospital.
It emerged last month that police had failed to fully implement almost half of a watchdog’s recommendations after the tragedy – 14 months after their publication. The initial damning report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) in November 2015 showed the cashstrapped single police service let poorly trained call-handling staff use creaking computer systems.
HMICS condemned ‘inadequate’ supervision of the call-handling system. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said at the time: ‘I have been assured all 30 of the recommendations will be actioned.’
An HMICS update report last month said nearly half of the calls for action had not been fully implemented. Missed recommendations included plans to improve auditing of calls and investment in training.
HMICS found police had been drafted from frontline duties to replace axed civilian staff, a practice the watchdog said had ended.
Computer systems have been upgraded but staff still use notepads to take down details of some calls. HMICS said ‘supervisory checks and guidance’ are in place.
The Crown Office is examining a report on the M9 scandal by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, which could result in an unprecedented prosecution of the single force.
Last night, Chief Superintendent Roddy Newbigging said: ‘We have reduced the cost of overtime spend following the closure of Stirling and Glenrothes in early 2015.
‘Overtime costs for Bilston Glen, Stirling and Glenrothes in 2014/15 were £398,275. Following the transition of business to Bilston Glen, costs fell in 2015/16 to £289,728.
‘In the current financial year we expect the spend on overtime to reduce by a similar amount.’