£22m taxpayer bill as crisis-hit police cut jobs

By Rachel Watson Deputy Scottish Political Editor

HUNDREDS of frontline Police Scotland staff have been made redundant or have taken early retirement – at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £22million.

The single force has been plagued by problems since its creation in 2013, with complaints about morale, equipment, budget pressures and governance.

Now it has been revealed that 593 civilian staff members have been paid off since 2014 – with more than 150 of them leaving crisis-hit contact command control centres.

It comes after Justice Secretary Michael Matheson this week admitted that the formation of the single force, along with other ‘major changes’, has affected the morale of officers and staff.

Yesterday, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Police Scotland needs to explain why – in the context of falling staff numbers, low morale and fewer officers on the front line – it is deciding to pay so many people off.

‘We constantly hear from single force bosses about how tight cash is. Perhaps more sensible workforce planning would free up resources for fighting crime.’

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) predicted the force will ‘overspend’ its £1.1billion budget by £21.2million. Fears have been raised about severe cuts being imposed across the country, notably focusing on equipment, buildings and vehicles.

But a Freedom of Information request has revealed 593 civilian staff members took voluntary redundancy and early retirement in the past three years. This includes 151 staff based in police

‘Free up resources for fighting crime’

control centres, which have been dogged by controversy.

Police Scotland’s call room crisis was thrust into the spotlight after mother-of-two Lamara Bell and her partner John Yuill died when their car crashed on the M9, near Stirling, in July 2015.

They lay in the vehicle for three days before police responded – control room staff had failed to log an initial call. Mr Yuill, 28, died at the scene while Miss Bell, 25, died later in hospital.

A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland found there were 98 ‘notable incidents’ in call centres – 36 from 999 calls, 52 from nonemergency 101 calls and ten from emails.

Police Scotland documents reveal 54 staff left front counter roles, 40 went from criminal justice departments, 36 from risk and business assurance, and 33 from general administration in local policing offices.

Redundancies were also made in the finance sector, SPA, counter-corruption teams and people and development departments.

Chief Constable Phil Gormley is on ‘special leave’ while three conduct complaints are investigated by the Police Investigation and Review Commissioner. He has denied all the allegations.

Earlier this year, a survey found police morale had hit a new low, with only one in ten staff positive about the future. A Scottish Institute for Policing Research report also noted concern about ‘diminishing resources’.

Nicky Page, the force’s head of people management, said: ‘Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority work under the provisions of the Public Sector Pay Policy, achieving savings via voluntary redundancies and voluntary retirement packages.

‘All packages offered represent value for money, and the cost in the short term is more than offset by savings in the medium to long term.’