Police pay out £5m damages in 2021

POLICE Scotland spent just under £5m on settling legal claims in the 2021/22 financial year.

The new figures, uncovered by the Liberal Democrats, reveal that £2,382,635 was spent on employer liability claims while a further

£1,683,240 related to public liability and £801,488 was spent on motor liability.

MSP Liam Mcarthur highlighted the case of ex-firearms officer Rhona Malone – who was awarded almost £1m for sexist victimisation – as he urged police bosses and the Scottish Government to ensure legal claims are not adding pressure onto the already-squeezed budget.

He said: “These are significant sums of money that are being paid out. In the case of Rhona

Malone, it is clear that if police bosses had addressed the culture within one of their own units, then perhaps the entire situation could have been avoided.

“Not only could a talented officer have remained in the service, huge sums of taxpayers’ money could also have been saved.

“Police officers have already warned that Government cuts threaten a serious loss of skills and expertise from the service.

“Scottish Liberal Democrat research has shown that police officers, including those with as little as two years’ service, are leaving in droves.

“At the last election, the SNP pledged to protect the police resource budget. Instead, they are planning scything cuts. This speaks volumes for the spending priorities of the Snp/green government.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Compensation payments are dealt with on a case by case basis with a view to securing best value for the public purse. A significant proportion of the increase in compensation payments this year can be attributed to a few cases relating to incidents from previous years.”