By Gemma Fraser
Head of content
Almost a fifth of police officers in Scotland are on ‘modified duties’ due to illness or injuries, sparking fears over the impact on the front line.
New data shows 2,915 cops are currently unable to carry out their full operational duties, which is around 18 per cent of full-time equivalent officers.
The figure has been described as “colossal” by staff associations, who say the rates in Scotland are higher than many police forces in England and Wales.
At the same time, long-term sickness absence has increased and is considered to be the “dominant attendance challenge” for Police Scotland.
Overall police officer and staff absence is currently sitting at seven per cent according to official figures, but the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said the number for cops alone is more like 10 to 11 per cent, and even higher in some divisions.
Included in the number of officers on modified duties are 974 whose roles have been permanently adjusted, making them non-deployable, and a further 871 on adjusted duties who are deployable with restrictions.
The increasing pressure on frontline officers comes as the latest Scottish Government data revealed a seven per cent increase in crime across Scotland.
Police recorded 323,531 crimes in the year to June 2026, the highest level since 2022, and up from 303,343 crimes the previous year.
David Threadgold, chair of the SPF, told 1919 the sheer number of officers on modified duties was having an “operational impact”.
“The service has to have a plan to deal with the number of officers who are unable to provide 24/7 core policing functions,” he continued.
SPF chair David Threadgold
“It’s particularly acute for operational policing. If you’re undeployable or your modification is that you can’t do nightshifts, then you can’t do 24/7 shifts.
“There will be some cases where officers on modified duties are able to carry out back-office functions effectively.
“But using warranted officers to provide administrative functions in the back office is not helping Police Scotland deliver for the communities in Scotland.”
Threadgold also pointed out that the high number of officers who have had modifications applied is a “symptom of increased demand, reduced workforce and continued exposure to extended trauma”, and that any return to full duties would require “adequate support” from Police Scotland.
Modified duties apply to officers who are unable to carry out their full range of responsibilities, usually as a result of illness or injury. It can also include those who are pregnant or need particular adjustments to take medication.
The figures have risen steadily in recent years, and the new number is a significant rise on the 2,373 officers recorded in March 2025.
Chief Superintendent Rob Hay, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, told the Scottish Police Authority’s people committee: “The figure of 2,915 officers modified is a figure larger than 28 of the Home Office forces in England and Wales.
“It’s actually a figure that’s 100 officers larger than the entirety of the British Transport Police. So these are colossal numbers we’re talking about here, and a really significant challenge.”
The committee also heard that Police Scotland is seeking to reduce absence by one per cent.
HR director Caroline Carruthers highlighted in her report that 39,078 working days had been lost to officer long-term absence in the first quarter of the year, with psychological disorders accounting for more than 20,700 long-term working days lost.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police officers and staff do a difficult, at times dangerous, job and we have invested in improving the health and wellbeing support available to our people.
“Building a thriving workforce and maximising our capacity are important elements of supporting our front line, and we’re increasing support for managers and supervisors around areas including attendance management, flexible working and modified duties.”
The most recent workforce figures show there were 16,402 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 30 June this year – a decrease of 25 from the previous year.
