Police Scotland faces losing senior officers amid retirement boom
Police Scotland faces the prospect of losing its most senior figures over the coming months as well as a retirement boom of officers at all levels.
Two significant departures have already been confirmed, while a Scottish Police Authority memo states it is “anticipating further senior officers may retire in the coming months”.
And in a stark letter from police chiefs to MSPs there is a fresh warning of officers quitting early because of pension changes.
The concerns are highlighted in the October edition of 1919 Magazine, published today (October 4).
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Kenny MacDonald is to retire in November, while Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr takes up the post of chief constable with Devon and Cornwall Police in the new year.
And with other retirements expected, there are concerns that Police Scotland will be left short of experienced figures at the top.
Of the 11 remaining senior officers in the executive team, more than half have either served for 30 years, or are fast approaching that milestone.
Official figures published in August show there were 16,610 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on June 30, 2022 – a fall of 195 from the previous quarter, which marked the first time officer numbers had fallen below 17,000 since 2008.
The quarterly strength statistics revealed that FTE police officer numbers had decreased by 679 in the previous year from June 30, 2021.
Opposition politicians criticised the Scottish government for a lack of funding, but Justice Secretary Keith Brown told 1919 Magazine it was Westminster to blame for financial woes.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene told 1919 Magazine: “This memo confirms what we already knew; the SNP government are presiding over a brain drain of senior officers departing Police Scotland.
“It is not just senior police officers who are leaving the force. Overall officer numbers are at their lowest level in Police Scotland’s history and the situation will only get worse with the SNP’s cuts to the policing budget, which break their own 2021 manifesto promise.
“Our officers are overworked and overstretched and ultimately many have left the force as a result of stress related to their job, which is an extremely sad situation to have reached.”
Mr Brown said: “The idea that the Conservatives want more cash for the police is like a bad joke, given that they denied the police a pay rise in England and Wales last year – meaning no consequential funding in Scotland.
“They have also cut the Scottish government’s budget by over five per cent, allowed rampant inflation to eat away at everyone’s living standards, and now want to cut public services even further to give tax cuts to those earning more than £150,000 per year.”
Police Scotland’s set-up at the top is one chief constable, three deputies, and nine assistants.
Recruiting each new position costs between £10,000 and £150,000, with the salary for new assistant chief constables in the region of £125,000.
Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone recently described the positions as “high profile and very demanding, requiring resilience and commitment”.
But fears over an exodus within the force are not restricted to senior positions.
It has now emerged that Deputy Chief Officer David Page has written to the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee outlining the impact of departures.
He said there are 1,377 officers of all ranks who were “affected by the recent pension changes and could leave earlier than would otherwise have been the case”.
In exit interviews of those who have already left in the past year, 87 per cent said they were retiring.
“We are continuing to see the impact of fewer officers across a range of operational areas, including our responsiveness to calls from the public,” Mr Page warned.
“Sustained investment is required to ensure Police Scotland has the capacity and capability to meet increasing demand.”