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Police officers are suffering burnout, working in “desperate” conditions, and are frequently having their days off cancelled, according to a new report.
The officers in Greater Glasgow, Tayside, and Lothian and Borders also complained of low morale and dwindling resources in a survey carried out by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF).
The health and safety study of around 700 officers highlights several areas where Police Scotland could make improvements, including reviewing police buildings, improving access to Taser, and rolling out supervisor training in mental wellbeing and identifying suicide.
It states that officers “clearly want to do a good job and merely want the tools to do that job better” which would involve “more resources in the shape of officers on the front line to share the workload”.
Police Scotland told 1919 that its own workforce survey highlighted “areas of real positivity”.
But the deep dive report reveals concerns which were raised both in the survey and to SPF officials directly when they visited divisions to speak to officers.
The report states: “Lack of morale was mentioned in comments by numerous officers.
“Whether that’s getting days cancelled for events, holidays ignored by court citations, depressing buildings to work from, lack of support in dealing with traumatic situations to lack of acknowledgement for doing a bit of good work.
“These are all issues that could be addressed and used to provide a happier and more effective working life for officers.”
On the topic of police buildings, the report found the vast majority of officers rated their station condition as ‘fair’ or lower.
SPF officials took photos of some of the run-down stations officers have to work from, such as the building in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian (main picture above), with cracks in the walls, mould, and water leaking through windows.
The report states these samples “illustrate some of the frankly desperate and dreary conditions our colleagues are expected to work in”.
The provision of equipment was another key area highlighted, raising issues around safety at work.
Out of those who responded to the survey, only 25 per cent were Taser trained, but just over half (52 per cent) of those said they did not routinely carry the device.
“One of the main reasons was there were insufficient Tasers at the hub station for all those trained on the team to have one each,” the report states.
“Another reason was that despite being trained there wasn’t a Taser hub at their station, and it meant travelling at the start and finish of every shift to get one.
“Some identified that if they were to likely be on a custody or hospital watch they wouldn’t sign one out.”
When asked about safety at work, 22 per cent of respondents said they felt unsafe.
Around 100 respondents mentioned officer safety training, with many stating that officers should be attending these sessions more frequently.
The survey asked officers about their current mental health, which was a 50/50 split between those who said they had good mental health, and those who thought they had fair or poor mental health.
And of all the respondents who indicated that they had suffered mental health issues in the last year, 79 per cent experienced burnout.
“This reflects the workloads being carried by frontline officers brought on by the apparent lack of resources,” the survey states.
“This was reflected in the comments made to the SPF officials who attended at the stations. It is the continual buzz of the radio with pressure being applied to attend another call while leaving the current call with unfinished enquiries.”
Operational base levels – the minimum levels of staffing – are routinely not being met, according to the survey, with 61 per cent saying they are rarely met, and 18 per cent saying never.
And only five per cent of respondents said they always get uninterrupted rest days. Thirty-eight per cent said they sometimes get them, while 21 per cent said this happens rarely.
The report states: “Officers aren’t getting the rest between sets of shifts that they need, and this also has impact on the physical and mental health of officers.
“Court citations and events are the two main causes of cancelled rest days.”
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “The Chief Constable has consistently highlighted the skill, commitment, goodwill and professionalism, our officers, staff, and volunteers demonstrate as they deliver a challenging and essential public service for our communities.
“Our own workforce survey highlighted areas of real positivity, including the strong ethos of teamwork and the commitment to making a difference in society, underlining the huge value our people provide for communities.
“It also showed there are challenges. The onus is on police leaders to advocate for appropriate resources for policing and deliver change that supports frontline policing to deliver for the public.
“We’ve set out our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce and our first business plan which outlines the steps we’re already taking to achieve these ambitions.”