Police battle bully ing... from their own bosses

SOARING numbers of police officers have lodged formal complaints about bosses amid claims of bullying and harassment.

Police Scotland have seen grievances double in the past year, with complaints made about serious issues such as the behaviour of managers.

Critics have raised fears over plummeting morale within the force, insisting the figures show a growing trend of unhappy officers.

Figures obtained through Freedom of Information legislation show 29 official complaints last year, compared with 14 in the previous 12 months – and only seven in 2014-15.

According to Police Scotland, issues raised include bullying, harassment, organisational restructuring and change of work location. Officials could not disclose exact numbers as many cases are still being examined.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This doubling of grievances goes to show how morale is suffering at Police Scotland. A police officer is unlikely to make a formal complaint lightly.

‘Police Scotland is a young organisation but already the trend seems to be for officers and staff to be more likely to find cause for complaint.

‘The Scottish Government has to reflect on these findings carefully. We cannot afford the mood among our officers to sink any lower. We need them to keep our com- munities safe. They take risks most of us never have to think about and deserve at the very least to be happy at work.’

The Scottish Police Federation claimed it had expected more complaints, suggesting that a ‘lack of confidence’ in senior officials was deterring officers from taking formal action.

Calum Steele, general secretary of the SPF, which represents rank and file officers, said: ‘These numbers are alarming, not because of how large they are but because they are so small. They suggest police officers lack confidence in the force’s procedures to resolve issues.

‘Rather than take the process on, many officers tolerate their lot. That is much more corrosive than any implied difficulties created by a doubling from 14 to 29 grievances in a year.’

The figures released yesterday also show 30 complaints were made by Police Scotland civilian staff, slightly down on the previous year.

Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: ‘It comes as little surprise we are seeing this rise in grievances. The botched centralisation of the police service by the SNP will have lasting effects for years.’

Peter Blair, head of the force’s resource management, said: ‘Grievances arise from a wide range of reasons and are dealt with in line with force guidance. While there has been a rise in grievances, each has been examined and it is not believed this is indicative of low morale.’