Budget approved with £47m deficit

Police Scotland’s budget has been approved with a £47 million deficit as officials set out a “refreshed approach” to financial management.

Under new plans, the overall budget will be devolved to deputy chief constables (DCC) and other senior staff in a move that will make it easier to support operations, a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) board meeting was told.

The SPA approved a £1.059 billion budget for policing and said it will work with Police Scotland to reduce the forecast £47m deficit.

Police Scotland deputy chief officer David Page said: “The chief constable has set budget targets at DCC level so the overall budget for Police Scotland is now going to be devolved down to DCC level and from there is will be cascaded down to other budget holders, to chief superintendent and equivalent staff level.

“This is a new approach to budgetary control that devolves responsibility down to those who spend the money, it also means that control of spending the money is closer to the people who hold the budgets, so if people want to do things, as long as it’s within their budget and we’re tracking it, it shortens decision-making and makes it much easier for police officers and police leaders to make decisions to support their operations on the ground.

“This gives them the autonomy to do the job much more efficiently.”

An SPA spokeswoman said: “The priority this year is for Police Scotland to deliver to the challenging revenue budget expectations we have set, and work constructively and proactively with us and the Scottish Government to identify further opportunities for in-year savings or income generation to further reduce the deficit.

“Agreeing the 2017-18 budget marks another important step on the journey to delivering the vision and objectives of the policing 2026 strategy.”