Dumfriesshire MSP and Shadow Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Elaine Murray, and Chair of Dumfries & Galloway Council Police, Fire and Rescue Sub Committee, Councillor John Syme have branded a Police Scotland staff survey as “a dark insight into the reality of life within the single police force.”
The survey was jointly commissioned by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Police Scotland in spring this year, however was only released to the public on Friday 2nd October.
About half of the force’s 24,000 staff took part in the survey, including 8,500 police officers.
Among other things, the staff survey found:
• A third of Police Scotland’s workforce intends to leave the organisation within the next three years
• Only a quarter of police officers felt they had the resources needed to do their job properly
• Fewer than one in 10 staff members thought the force was genuinely interested in their wellbeing
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray said:
“This report makes for extremely grim reading, and it’s little wonder that it has been sat on for months. The Scottish Government have been in total denial with regards to staff pressures in Police Scotland for far too long. The fact that a third of Police Scotland staff intend to leave the organisation in the very near future speaks volumes.
“Front line officers and staff in Police Scotland work hard, support each other and are rightfully proud of their contribution to public safety. They deserve to have the same level of respect and support returned back to them by senior management, the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Government.”
Cllr John Syme added:
“This has come as a dark insight into the reality of life within the single police force. Local police and staff are tired and overworked. That’s been obvious in Dumfries & Galloway since the creation of Police Scotland, but we’ve yet to see any action to tackle this.
“What’s especially frightening is the fact that the vast majority of police officers don’t even feel they have the resources needed to do their jobs properly. Budget cuts, reductions in civilian staff numbers, the centralisation of our local services and a lack of transparency from those at the top are clearly taking their toll. It’s now time for action from the Scottish Government, not empty words, to do what’s right for police staff and our local communities.”
