By Tom Martin
Scotland’s emergency services spent more than £3.5 million on control room overtime in three years, raising fresh fears over staff shortages and pressure on 999 teams.
Police Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) logged 174,138 extra hours between 2021 and 2023.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) warned of a control room “crisis” after safety concerns resurfaced in the wake of the M9 tragedy, which saw a woman left dying in a crashed car for three days.
The Fire Brigades Union said the system is “not sustainable” due to the loss of experienced staff and the 2013 cut from eight control rooms to three.
Police Scotland told 1919 that overtime helps maintain effective policing. The SFRS said it is recruiting new staff, while the Scottish Ambulance Service said costs have fallen in recent years.
The Scottish Government pointed to more than £2.47 billion invested in the three emergency services.
However, the Scottish Conservatives, who obtained the figures through a freedom of information request, criticised ministers for “financial incompetence”.
Sharon Dowey, the party’s community safety spokesperson, said: “These payments only add to the pressures facing emergency services already pushed to the limit by SNP cuts.
“That means people in need of assistance are having to wait far too long for support, or have tragically lost their lives.
“These figures need to be the catalyst for SNP ministers to urgently deliver the funding necessary to these control rooms so they can keep communities safe and respond quickly.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service logged the biggest overtime bill at £1.29 million, closely followed by Police Scotland at £1.22 million and the SFRS at £917,000.
“That means people in need of assistance are having to wait far too long for support, or have tragically lost their lives”
Scottish Conservative community safety spokesperson Sharon Dowey
A fatal accident inquiry in May last year into the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill found an “organisational failure” in Police Scotland’s call-handling system at the Bilston Glen control centre in Midlothian.
Despite multiple emergency calls, the couple were in a car at the bottom of an embankment off the M9 near Stirling for three days.
Sheriff James Williamson noted the centre was under pressure that summer due to staffing shortages and confusion over systems.
An SPF ‘deep dive’ into low staffing and welfare last year revealed control room officers face frequent cancelled days off and short-notice shift changes, increasing the risk of mistakes.
SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: “Control rooms are in crisis and have been for some time.
“We only need to look back to the M9 incident to understand the strain staff were under then, and to be frank nothing has changed.
“The pressure remains relentless and people are reaching the point of fatigue.”
Overtime hours peaked in 2022 before falling slightly in 2023 across all services.
Police Scotland’s hours increased to 20,328 in 2022, the SFRS hours jumped to 29,749 but dropped to 12,785 in 2023, while the Scottish Ambulance Service logged the most hours overall, reaching 29,591 in 2022 before a modest fall to 24,899 in 2023.
FBU regional treasurer Seona Hart criticised a loss of experience and staff retention problems, adding: “A fire and rescue service that relies on overtime to deliver its basic functions is not sustainable.
“Our members are still regularly working below agreed safe crewing levels in control rooms across Scotland.”
Jacqui MacDonald, SFRS area commander for operations control, said 15 new temporary firefighter control staff have been recently hired to help strengthen the team.
She added: “The appropriate use of voluntary overtime is vital to ensure we continue to respond effectively to every emergency.
“It is an integral part of organisational stability and maintains flexibility and resilience.”
“Our members are still regularly working below agreed safe crewing levels in control rooms across Scotland”
FBU regional treasurer Seona Hart
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “As with all ambulance services across the UK, we offer overtime to boost shift cover during periods of increased pressure and high demand.
“We continue to monitor spend and have seen a marked reduction of costs over the last couple of years.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Policing is relentless and right across the country, officers and staff are working incredibly hard to keep people safe and the organisation is deeply grateful for all their hard work.
“Overtime is a flexible mechanism which can help to maintain effective policing for all our communities and it is important our people are rewarded for the work they do in line with their terms and conditions.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are maintaining frontline services by investing £393 million in the Scottish Fire Rescue Service this year – an increase of £29.3 million.
“We are also investing a record £1.64 billion for policing this year, while the Scottish Ambulance Service will receive £437.2 million this year, an uplift of £12.7 million from 2024/25.”