Calls for ‘proper pay deal’ in face of soaring police officer retirements
The Scottish Liberal Democrats deputy leader has called on the Scottish government to deliver a “proper pay deal” for officers and tackle the “soaring numbers” of officers considering retirement.
Wendy Chamberlain, a former police officer, said Police Scotland has been “plagued by a shortage of resources and funding”.
She said the number of planned retirements is 69 per cent above normal retirement levels when compared with the five-year average.
A Scottish Liberal Democrat Freedom of Information request revealed that 763 Scottish police officers plan to retire this year, compared with an average of 584 over the past five years. It also revealed that 1,353 will be eligible to retire within the next 12 months.
Ms Chamberlain said the increase in retiring police officers comes in the wake of Scottish Police Federation chair David Hamilton describing stress levels as “critical” and the introduction of the McCloud Remedy, a landmark legal judgement that removes age-discrimination in public sector pension schemes.
Last month, the Scottish Police Federation’s joint central committee rejected a 3.4 per cent pay rise proposal saying the deal “continues to fail to recognise the unique role of the police offer and is significantly lower than offered in other sectors”.
The proposed wage increase was 1.4 per cent for most officers and two per cent for new recruits. It came after the UK Government accepted the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body for an overall rise of five per cent for police officers in England and Wales and up to 8.8 per cent for the lowest paid.
Ms Chamberlain commented: “Despite violent crime being on the rise, Police Scotland have been plagued by a shortage of resources and funding. Huge numbers of officers have had enough and are threatening to call it quits.
“These numbers are a worrying example of how the government simply isn’t doing enough to maintain law and order across Scotland.
“Police Scotland need to retain skilled and experienced officers. Otherwise, the government will have to either rack up the costs of recruiting and training staff who don’t have the same breadth of experience or leave ever greater areas without any community policing.”
She added: “A career in the police involves navigating complex pressures and high-level demands. That’s why the government must act to improve pay and conditions, while also conducting regular staff surveys, to put the welfare of officers at the centre of reform.”