Force relies on its ability to ‘make do and mend’

Chief constable says ‘derisory’ capital budget means ‘workarounds’ needed

The chief constable of Police Scotland said the force is having to “make do and mend” because of its “derisory” capital budget.

Iain Livingston’s comments came after video footage emerged of shoddy conditions inside a Perthshire police station.

The phone footage shows evidence bags taped over plug sockets at the Pitlochry office to protect them from rainwater pouring through broken window frames.

The potential impact of continuing budget cuts was spelled out by Chief Constable Livingston at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) yesterday.

He said: “Our capital budget is derisory for the size of organisation that we’ve got.

“We’ve come so far with our ability to make do and mend. We have come so far with officers and staff and come so far with workarounds.”

The video of Pitlochry station was released by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank-and-file officers, who said the police estate is falling apart.

It follows a similar video showing a leaking roof in a police building in Paisley.

SPF vice-chairman David Hamilton said a quarter of buildings are in “poor condition” and nearly two-thirds of police buildings are more than 40 years old.

Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins, from Police Scotland, said the Pitlochry station was one of a number of buildings that is in a poor condition.

He said: “We inherited a policing estate which had been built up over the course of several decades and which