Have police chiefs utterly lost the plot?
They advertise for £80,000 bureaucrat to ‘lead journey’ ... as 400 beat cops face axe
POLICE Scotland has been criticised for creating ‘jargon-laden’ civilian jobs while officer numbers are cut.
The cash-strapped force is seeking an £80,000-a-year ‘portfolio manager’ to lead its ‘transformation journey’ and ‘improve outcomes and productivity’.
The successful candidate does not require any previous policing experience – but must have ‘significant experience in leadership, change management and influencing’ and bring a ‘collaborative spirit and passion for driving change’.
Police Scotland has already outlined plans to cut officer numbers by 400 as part of its ten-year plan and recently announced it was to sell off dozens of police stations to combat a looming £200 million black hole in its finances.
Andrea MacDonald, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, said: ‘The recruitment of yet another highly paid project management professional is anathema to most police officers.
‘For the last 240 years Scottish police forces have continuously evolved and reformed without the need for this function. We remain sceptical of the need for such posts particularly in light of the more pressing financial challenges the force faces.’
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘For an organisation that pleads poverty, Police Scotland certainly seems to have sufficient resources for this experiment.
‘Hard-working police officers will raise an eyebrow at this initiative. Many will think cash like this would be better spent supporting those on the front line rather than creating jargon-laden office roles.’
The newly created head of portfolio management office, based at Police Scotland’s Tulliallan headquarters, will earn between £70,815 and £79,641 per annum – almost double the average salary of a sergeant at Police Scotland.
The job advert states: ‘The Head of PMO will be accountable for the development, implementation and management of a world-class portfolio, programme and project management function.’
It adds that the successful candidate will ‘oversee the planning and of multiple programmes, risk management, benefits management, programme analysis and reporting, to enable business transformation to be delivered successfully and efficiently’.
The advert continues: ‘Police Scotland continues its public consultation on our Policing 2026 strategy and are now able to start to put the measures in place which will allow us to begin the process of transformation that will be required once we have an agreed strategy.’
A police spokesman said: ‘Policing 2026 recognises the demands on policing are changing. It is our responsibility to identify and respond to these changes.
‘To support this we have been provided with transformation funding by the Scottish Government to support the programme of reform.
‘We are building a team of people with experience, expertise and an innovative approach to lead this work.’