Royal guards’ legal battle over bonuses
Armed police take bosses to court after payouts axed
ARMED officers are taking police chiefs to court after bonuses for guarding the Royal Family were axed.
Cash-strapped Police Scotland – which faces a funding black hole of nearly £200million – has been refusing to shell out for ‘enhanced payments’.
The bonus was paid to officers on protection duty while the Royals were on summer breaks at the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire.
The extra cash compensated for working away from home for sustained periods and constantly being on call.
But for the past two summers, police chiefs have not paid out – despite the bonus being enshrined in rules agreed between Police Scotland and the Police Negotiating Board.
Now, in a legal challenge backed by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), an officer has asked judges at the Court of Session to overturn the decision.
A ruling on the case, heard at the end of last year, is expected within the coming weeks.
Armed officers say the ‘sacrifices’ they make while posted at Balmoral for long periods of time should be reflected in their pay.
SPF general secretary Calum Steele said: ‘This is a significant issue for our officers. The force has changed its approach to the reimbursement of officers and we are challenging it.
‘We have tried to resolve this long before the Court of Session action but feel little option but to go down the legal route.’
The case comes amid reports that the Queen plans to spend increasing amounts of time at Balmoral, requiring a larger and more sustained security operation to be put into place by Police Scotland. It was revealed in late 2015 that she intended to lengthen her summer stays in Scotland.
Before Scotland’s police forces were centralised in 2013, responsibility for Royal protection and ‘enhanced payments’ fell to the country’s regional police chiefs.
But since 2014, no such payments have been made to officers for duties at Balmoral.
The judgment will affect around 400 armed officers who may be called upon to provide protection to the Royal Family.
Police Scotland said it would not comment on the issue while the legal case was still active.
Public spending watchdog Audit Scotland warned last year that Police Scotland is facing a £188million funding gap by 2020, despite making £34million worth of cuts during the last financial year.
At the time, Auditor General Caroline Gardner said there was ‘weak financial leadership’ in both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, the organisation that manages the £1.1billion policing budget.