SPA welcomes extra funding in Scottish Budget as “a strong vote of confidence” in the police

The additional funding is part of a £1.3 billion package for the SPA which Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said will “eliminate the deficit in the police budget”.

In her Budget statement, Ms Forbes said: “We will provide a total funding settlement of £1.3 billion for the SPA, including an uplift of £60 million in the resource budget – surpassing our commitment to deliver a £100 million boost by 2021 and eliminating the deficit in the police budget.”

She said there will also be “significant extra funding” to help deal with the backlog in criminal justice caseloads caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

SPA interim chair David Crichton said it “very much welcomes” the draft Budget statement.

“We have said consistently that the financial sustainability of policing depends upon addressing a persistent structural deficit,” said Mr Crichton.

“The additional £60 million in revenue funding announced today achieves that. It represents a strong vote of confidence in the Authority and Police Scotland and particularly recognises the outstanding performance of the police service in protecting the country’s safety and wellbeing during the pandemic.”

He added: “The draft Budget also commits to maintaining capital funding at existing levels, along with an additional £0.5 million for specialist equipment for officers. We welcome that but also acknowledge the need for further capital and reform funding.

“This will be needed to deal with the legacy of under-investment in infrastructure and to accelerate the strategic transformation required to meet changing and increasing demands on the service.

“The Authority will consider today’s draft Budget and what that means for the year ahead with a view to approving the 2021/22 policing budget in March.”

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone QPM welcomed the Budget announcement “to eliminate the structural deficit in policing’s funding”.

“The reform of policing in Scotland has brought many benefits to all communities across the country, while £200 million has been returned to the public purse every year compared to legacy arrangements,” he said.

“The last 12 months have demonstrated the relentless nature of policing. Our mission to prevent harm, support communities and keep people safe has been evident throughout the pandemic.

“We will continue to enhance capacity and capability to protect the people of Scotland in the public, private and virtual spaces.

“Responsive and accessible local policing is deeply valued by our fellow citizens and will always lie at the heart of Police Scotland’s purpose and approach.”

Scottish Police Federation chair David Hamilton said the Budget was “good news for policing as a £60 million funding settlement rectifies the wrongs of the past and eliminates our structural deficit”.

He added that a one per cent public sector pay rise proposed in the Budget, “given the economic circumstances and pay freezes elsewhere”, will also be welcomed by many and for police officers “is useful context and signalling for forthcoming police pay negotiations”.

The Scottish Budget presented by Ms Forbes recognised the “significant response” by the justice and emergency response sector throughout the pandemic “in keeping communities safe”.

It said: “Police Scotland has been at the front and centre of the response to Covid-19 in Scotland, and continues to work closely with all partners including in local authorities and health to support the collective effort to combat Covid-19.

“Throughout the Covid-19 crisis their 4Es approach to policing – Engaging, Explaining, Encouraging and only as a last resort Enforcing – has been central in ensuring our collective approach to the unprecedented but necessary public health measures put in place.

“We have committed to protecting Police Scotland’s revenue budget during this current Parliament, and have surpassed our commitment to deliver a £100 million boost by 2021. In 2021/22, we will provide a total funding settlement of £1.3 billion for the SPA, including an uplift of £60 million in the resource budget that will wipe out Police Scotland’s structural deficit and deliver a sustainable policing budget. An additional £15 million will be provided to the Scottish Police Authority to mitigate the impacts of Covid on the policing budget. We have also provided one‑off capital funding to support the use of body-worn video in a limited capacity.”

In addition, the Scottish government said it will “continue to provide reform funding to support a range of transformation activities across policing”.

The Budget also recognised the “considerable impacts” the pandemic has had across the wider justice system” – “not least within the courts system, with a backlog in cases waiting to come to court, impacting those accused of crime, victims and witnesses”.

An additional £50 million will be available to the Recover, Renew, Transform Programme in the coming year and to begin to address the backlogs that have built up. The programme will consider proposals for the reform of the justice system, including greater use of digital tools, support for victims and witnesses, and ways to prevent repeat offending and manage the prison population, through more effective community-based interventions.