Police handed ‘deserved’ pay rise of 6.5pc after deadlock over talks ends
SCOTLAND’S rank-and-file police officers are to be handed an inflation-busting pay rise – nearly double their original demand.
The 6.5 per cent salary hike is the biggest boost to police wages in more than 20 years and followed weeks of ‘protracted negotiations’.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the pay deal was an ‘important recognition of the vital work they [police] do to support safer, stronger communities’.
The agreement comes as ministers face the threat of industrial action by teachers – who are demanding a 10 per cent pay rise.
It also follows Scottish Government figures showing that, after the first rise in recorded offending since 2006, fewer than half of all crimes are solved by police.
The pay deal is backdated to September 1 and applies until March 31, 2021 for all officers under the rank of Assistant Chief Constable.
It amounts to an additional £125million in officer wages over the period and, according to the Scottish Government, is ‘consistent with efforts to bring the police budget back into financial balance’.
The Scottish Police Federaof tion (SPF) had complained of a deadlock in pay talks, after it lobbied for a 3.5 per cent pay rise.
Last night, SPF general secretary Calum Steele said the 6.5 per cent deal ‘represents the greatest uplift to police pay for over 20 years’ and was ‘worth the delay and effort’.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: ‘The pay award represents a significant and deserved outcome for police officers. I’m also pleased that progress is being made in negotiations on harmonising pay and reward for police staff.
‘Every single day, our hardworking officers and staff are keeping people safe and demonstrating the highest levels leadership and public service.’
Professor Susan Deacon, chairman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), said: ‘Police officers represent a substantial portion of the police workforce and budget.
‘This deal over a 31-month period provides both individuals and policing with certainty as we plan and implement the further transformation of policing to meet the needs of a changing Scotland.’
Last night, Mr Yousaf said the ‘strong deal for Scotland’s police officers’ was ‘an important recognition of the vital work they do to support safer, stronger communities’.
He added: ‘It also reflects the positive relations between police officers and employers in Scotland where we have retained collective pay bargaining.
‘The Scottish Government has worked closely with the SPA and Police Scotland to finalise this two-and-a-halfyear deal which puts more cash into officers’ pockets while giving them and their families certainty.
‘The progress made towards securing a milestone agreement on police staff pay and reward harmonisation is also very welcome.’
Earlier this week, official statistics showed that the proportion of crimes successfully tackled by police has dropped below 50 per cent, while the ‘clear-up’ rate for rape is the lowest on record.
The Scottish Government figures revealed that an average of one violent or sexual crime is reported to Police Scotland every 27 minutes.
Mr Yousaf said the ‘small rise in crime’ was ‘disappointing’ and insisted that Scotland’s streets were safer and less violent than a decade ago.
Comment – Page16
‘Highest levels of public service’