Police Scotland officers worked over one million hours of overtime last year
The figures are more than double that of the previous year
Last updated 23rd Jul 2022
Police Scotland officers carried out over million hours of overtime last year – double the previous 12 months, according to new data.
A freedom of information (FOI) request obtained by the Scottish Conservatives revealed officers worked 1,074,545 hours of overtime in 2021 – 2022, compared to 464,049 hours the previous year.
Police Scotland said both the coronavirus pandemic and the COP26 summit in Glasgow played a role in the increased hours.
Pay dispute
It comes as police officers remain locked in a dispute with the force over pay, with the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) saying the "goodwill" of staff has been withdrawn.
This means officers have refused to start shifts early and no longer take radios home - but SPF general secretary Calum Steele said this week it would be "foolhardy" to lay out what other tactics will be employed.
The federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, recently rejected a "derisory" 3.4% pay increase.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman, Jamie Greene, said the overtime figures show the "dedication" of police officers.
He said: "Shamefully, this hard work they carry out every single day is now being endangered by an SNP Government who have insulted police officers with a derisory pay offer that has left officers with no choice but to withdraw their goodwill.
"These findings show that is now threatening over one million hours of time that would usually be spent keeping the public safe. It is shocking that the SNP have let their relations with the police hit rock-bottom.
"SNP ministers should be boosting police numbers to reduce the burden on current officers who are already overworked and stressed, but instead they have let officer numbers fall to their lowest level since 2008.
"Not only have they delivered insulting pay offers to our officers, SNP ministers have also broken their promise to protect police funding in the years ahead. That clearly shows keeping the public safe is no longer a priority for the SNP Government."
Scottish government response
A Scottish Government spokesman said the deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable.
He added: "Officer numbers are favourable relative to elsewhere in the UK - with around 32 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 23 in England and Wales.
"Police officer pay has been negotiated for many years through the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), which includes Police Officer Staff Associations, the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government.
"The PNB process is ongoing in relation to pay for 2022/23, and we await the outcome of those discussions."