Past their cell-by date as police officers return unwanted gifts
Five home-grown chillies, a toy police car and a quantity of pasta from Germany were among the presents to police officers last year.
A total of just over 100 items were offered to Police Scotland individuals, including civilian staff, in the last three months of the year, with around 80 accepted and the rest turned down.
Items included invites for Chief Constable Iain Livingston to the BetFred cup semi-finals at Hampden Park between Hibs and Celtic on November 2 and the following day between Rangers and Hearts.
The chief declined the offers from the Scottish Professional Football League, while Mr Livingston, who played for Raith Rovers when he was a student, also turned down an invite to a police international football fixture at Falkirk Stadium from the Scottish
Police Football Association the week previously.
The Chief Constable was given a total of nine hospitality offers during the period, all of which he declined, including one from the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh to an evening reception there.
The home-grown chillies, presented to a constable at the end of last year, were “accepted and destroyed”. The same outcome was met by the two toy police cars and two bars of chocolate which were gifted to a detective constable.
Two tickets to a Rod Stewart concert were accepted, but two gifts of £10 from members of the public and a consignment of squat lobsters were declined.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “We have strict rules and publish a register of occasions where these have been offered. Many items are donated to charity or, where appropriate, displayed in our buildings.”