Force cuts cash for vetting of officers in cost cutting drive
Cash for the vetting of potential officers is to be cut as part of a savings drive by Police Scotland.
Investment in vetting staff will be subject to ‘significant’ reductions, while officer overtime costs will be slashed by 20 per cent.
The force also said it had no funding for ‘significant additional costs relating to public inquiries’.
These include the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
At the Scottish Police Authority public board meeting in Glasgow, Chief Constable Jo Farrell said there had been ‘some extremely difficult decisions which are reflected’ in the force’s budget plans.
She said: ‘This includes the 20 per cent reduction in our overtime budgets and the release of temporary staff roles who were doing really valuable work ... on how we manage vacancies and recruit staff in the year ahead.’
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said there had been ‘some extremely difficult decisions' to make around police spending
Spending on Police Scotland vetting staff will be subject to ‘significant’ reductions
She said roles being axed include civilian investigators, vetting staff, and others ‘doing valuable work to address demand that would otherwise have placed further pressure on officers’. Ms Farrell added: ‘I would also underline that any significant additional costs relating to public inquiries cannot be accommodated within our existing [funding] allocation.’
One police source said: ‘Some people in senior positions have already said the overtime cuts will not be achievable.
‘There are also real risks from cutting back on funding for vetting.’
Unison, the union representing police civilian workers, said: ‘Police staff cannot be the balancing figure in the 2026/27 budget.’
