POLITICS

7 Police too scunnered to raise a complaint

MANY police officers are too “scunnered” with their working conditions to raise grievances as they believe nothing will change, MSPs have been told.

Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), said officers were too used to working conditions being “disregarded and ignored”.

Holyrood’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing will take evidence tomorrow on issues with Police Scotland’s procedures for internal complaints, including grievances and whistleblowing.

In a written submission to the committee, Mr Steele highlighted a recent staff survey in which only eight per cent of police officers said they believed the service was genuinely interested in their well-being.

He said: “Against this, it is telling so very few police officers raise grievances and rather than be considered as a sign of positivity, this suggests a fundamental lack of confidence in the processes that are there.

“At this time many police officers are simply ‘scunnered’. They experience their working conditions being regularly disregarded and ignored.

“They are pulled from pillar to post and have so little confidence things will improve they often ask themselves ‘what is the point as nothing will change’.”

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner confirmed last week it was investigating a new allegation of gross misconduct by Mr Gormley, in addition to one announced in July.

He has been granted “special leave’’ meantime.