Police ‘too short of cash to catch drug criminals’
POLICE officers in Scotland are being forced to abandon proactive investigations into drug dealers in case they require overtime, a whistleblower has claimed.
According to the officer, who wished to remain anonymous, overtime bans in certain areas are making it impossible to carry out investigations which could prevent crime.
He told the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) that he risks ‘career suicide’ by speaking out, but opted to do so anyway because of the increasing pressure of policing cuts on staff.
The force is facing a £21.1million shortfall in running costs this year, despite an £18million budget boost from the Scottish Government for 2016-17.
Yesterday Calum Steele, SPF general secretary, published a redacted copy of an email he received on Twitter.
It states: ‘You may already be aware that officers in [redacted] are on an overtime ban.
‘This is unworkable and when a custody case or investigation demands overtime, officers are staying to complete the job out of personal and professional pride for no pay.’
The officer adds that police are ‘being told not to be proactive and investigate drug dealers because they could cause overtime, but rather just do the work we are given.’
A second email published by Mr Steele says ‘people who should be held in custody are being released on undertaking to avoid officers staying on to complete a case and incur overtime’. He said the emails expose ‘the shameful reality of police cuts’.
He added: ‘The first duty of government is to keep its citizens safe – but not from drug dealers it would appear.’
This comes as it was revealed that drug-related deaths in Scotland have jumped by 15 per cent in a year to the highest figure ever recorded.
Mr Steele said: ‘On the day that figures show that drug deaths are rising we have a police service which, as a consequence of the lack of finance, is unable to pursue those that are peddling the misery of drugs.’
Mr Steele that efforts to cut overtime, which is easily identifiable in police figures, had increased costs in other less transparent budget areas.
He has now called on the Scottish Government to ‘put its hand in its pocket’ to protect the public, adding: ‘The service is not over-budget, it is under-funded.’
In recent weeks the SPF has revealed the worrying extent to which police officers across Scotincrease, land are being affected by cuts, with bin bags rationed in police offices and a ban on tea towels.
Other reports suggested a search for a potential housebreaker was abandoned to avoid incurring overtime costs.
Last night, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: ‘We’ve just found out that the level of drug-related deaths in Scotland is on the so it is extremely worrying if officers have been told to stop proactive investigations into drug dealers.’
Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: ‘We need our police officers to be helping take drug dealers off our streets, not heading home early because we cannot afford to pay for overtime.’
One of those to share Mr Steele’s tweets was former gang member and criminal Cody Lachey, writing that ‘it’s like a field day for criminals now’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said it would do everything to tackle illegal drugs, adding: ‘We are committed to protecting the police revenue budget in real terms for the entirety of this parliament, delivering an additional £100million of investment over the next five years, in addition to the £55million in reform funding in 2016-17.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘There is no overtime ban in operation. Officers continue to focus on meeting local priorities, including tackling drug dealers in communities, drug supply at local, national and international level.’
‘The service is under-funded’