Low staff levels leave frontline police feeling unsafe, says watchdog
Many Police Scotland frontline officers feel current staffing levels mean they are “unsafe”, a watchdog has found.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), reviewed Police Scotland’s wellbeing provision and found staffing levels were a prominent concern for officers.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Craig Naylor said: “Many of those frontline officers and staff we spoke to indicated they felt that current staffing levels in their areas left them feeling vulnerable and, at times, unsafe.
“We heard consistently that more needs to be done to ensure the pressure associated with the dynamic and demanding nature of policing does not disproportionately impact the frontline and that the load should be more evenly shared.
“Resource levels also impact on time away from work, with the cancellation of rest days disrupting the quality of recovery time, and officers and staff reporting difficulties in trying to reroster days off.
“Compounding this problem was the requirement to attend court, often on rest days, with officers and staff only being required to give evidence on a very small number of occasions, adding to feelings of frustration.”
The inspectorate’s report, Frontline Focus - Wellbeing, found no recognition or reference to areas of significant stress in any of the work being undertaken by Police Scotland in relation to wellbeing.
But while the force offered good support to its officers in times of crisis, a number of other issues affected their wellbeing.
A scarcity of resources and stations in poor condition were issues of concern to staff and officers it was found. HMICS found police buildings with holes in the roof.mr Naylor welcomed a recent announcement by Chief Constable Jo Farrell, who said the force will focus less on officer numbers, and more on prioritising what should be done.
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs, of Police Scotland, said: “Policing is relentless and is a job like no other. The chief constable has prioritised the health and wellbeing of our officers.”