Police Scotland survey discovers one in three police officers want to leave national force

Just over half of all Police Scotland employees took part in the staff survey, with one in three saying they were considering leaving the organisation over the next three years. Just eight per cent thought the service was interested in well-being.

Senior officers had anticipated some negativity - not least thanks to the inevitable stress caused by the merger of Scotland's eight territorial forces and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency in 2013.

However, it is hard to compare the current mood in Police Scotland with that of the old forces.

And far from all the survey findings were negative. More than three-quarters said they trusted their colleagues and line managers and just under three-quarters thought their team worked well to improve services.

Just under half of all respondents who said they were considering the service blamed changes to pension arrangements.

Others cited:

1. Not feeling valued or recognised for the job they do
2. The lack of resources available to do their job effectively
3. Lack of genuine commitment to wellbeing
4. Lack of priority for health and safety
5. Pressure in their job

Officers have long complained about shift patterns, holiday problems and difficulties having a family .

The survey also found many police employees were overwhelmed with information, with 78 per cent now relying on email.

The survey was ordered by both Police Scotland and its main civilian watchdog the Scottish Police Authority or SPA.The SPA now believes that its findings must be used as a measure of how well whoever replaces outgoing chief constable Sir Stephen House has performed.

Andrew Flanagan, the new chairman of SPA, said: "The results speak for themselves and we will not seek to rationalise them away.

"There are a number of very positive findings within the survey that provide reassurance and which we must build upon. There are also issues of concern and areas for improvement.

"The clear priority areas are the commitment of officers and staff to stay with the organisation, health and wellbeing, and communications.

"It is on those priority areas that the SPA expects a strong management response, and on which SPA will use its influence and oversight.

"One immediate step SPA will take is within the assessment and appointment process of the new Chief Constable.

"All those shortlisted can expect to be challenged by me on how they would personally address the central issues within today’s report."

Mr Flanagan has one problem. He may struggle to convince police staff and officers that their concerns will be addressed.

Nearly half of all respondents - 48 per cent - said they strongly agreed that senior officers will take action on the findings of the survey. Another 28 per cent said they "agreed" with that notion.

Here are the actual figures, straight from the survey:

Niven Rennie, president of the Scottish Association of Police Superintendents (ASPS), stressed this point. He said: “Of greatest concern to ASPS is the overwhelming number of staff who have expressed a view that nothing will change.

"It is essential that the leadership of the Service take immediate steps to demonstrate a commitment to making a difference."

Police Scotland

Unison, which represents civilian staff, was similarly concerned that its members were cynical about the chances of their views being listened to.

George McIrvine, union's branch secretary for Police Scotland staff, said: "The fact that only 9% of staff believe that genuine engagement will result from the survey is deeply concerning. ‎

"Some 33% of staff indicating that they intended leaving the organisation is indicative of a workforce who feel neglected, undervalued and under stress. Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland must act on these outcomes."

Gerry Crawley, Unison's regional organiser and lead negotiator for police support staff in Scotland said: "The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have received a clear message from  members.

"And the message is this: Don't under value our roles, don't ignore our issues, listen to our opinions and act on them."

Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation or SPF, argued that the survey findings should serve as a wake-up call for politicians as police budgets were trimmed.

He said: "There is nothing in this survey that surprises the Scottish Police Federation.

"We know police officers are dedicated public servants and take pride in delivering exceptional service to the communities of Scotland.

"We have consistently stated that contrary to the views of our detractors, many parts of the service were content at their work and this survey more than bears that out.

"There are many good things in this survey and these almost all serve to demonstrate the dedication, commitment and professionalism of those delivering that exceptional service in difficult circumstances.

Brian Docherty

Mr Docherty added: "That being said, the wider contents of the survey should serve as a wakeup call to the service, the SPA and Government.

" You cannot deliver a world class police service purely on the good will of the men and women who work in it. Nearly 8,500 of our members (almost half of all police officers) completed this survey, and their voices need to be listened to.

"That a third of respondents stated they were looking to leave the service in the near future is a cause of considerable concern.

"That more than three-quarters of all police officers felt they had insufficient resources to do their job properly is frightening and that 95 per cent believed the service was not genuinely interested in their wellbeing is simply shocking.

"We are not surprised that resources and pressures of work, particularly in local policing, are subject to the most strident criticisms.

"Local policing is stretched and police officers are under phenomenal pressure.

"They are tired, overworked and are increasingly strangers in their own homes.

"Almost without exception a lack of finance lies at the heart of myriad of issues this survey identifies.

"The Service, Scottish Police Authority and Government cannot ignore the reality that a lack of funding is having a detrimental impact on the men and women in the service and that unless addressed."

Both ASPS and the SPF have expressed concerns about policing becoming a political football.

Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson was upbeat about the survey.

He said: “The results provide us with a solid foundation for continuing to develop the organisation. 

“We have a motivated workforce which has a real sense of connection with the value of their work.

"They also expressed a strong desire to help shape the organisation going forward.
"We need to listen to that and reflect the views of all police officers and staff."

Police Scotland
But Mr Richardson again acknowledged that wholesale reform, which he helped to design, had been stressful for policing.

He said: "Policing in Scotland has been through major change and has delivered many benefits to the communities we serve but our officers and staff are clearly telling us there is more we must do in terms of engaging them in the journey ahead.
"There are also issues which require action in order to continue to look after the people who serve those communities and to improve the service we provide."

“Change will of course have an impact on staff. This survey makes clear that changes to police officer pensions, issues around health and wellbeing, information and communication also have an impact to staff.

“Our challenge now is to demonstrate action in relation to these findings and while there is much work already underway in relation to many of the issues raised, we need to fully understand some of the detail behind the results to ensure we’re focusing our actions in the right way.” 

Labour's Justice spokesman Graeme Pearson linked the poor survey response to a difficult few months for the national force. And he blamed failures directly to SNP policies in Holyrood.

Mr Pearson said: "This is a damning report which gives an insight into the incredible pressure officers are under whilst their reputation has been dragged through the mud by a summer of scandal.

"These pressures are a direct result of decisions taken by the SNP Government in Edinburgh.  Budget cuts, reductions in civilian staff numbers, the closure of services and a lack of transparency from those at the top have all taken their toll on rank and file officers.

"Front line officers and staff in Police Scotland work hard, support each other and are proud of their contribution to public safety."

“But at the same time we are seeing senior management and the Scottish Police Authority who appear to have  little interest in the wellbeing of their staff.

"Officers should swell with pride when they wear a uniform. Instead, because of intolerable pressures one in three members want to leave the service. That is a terrible position for Scottish policing to be in."

The Liberal Democrats, led by Willie Rennie, have been critical of the entire reform programme that created Police Scotand. Like Labour, they put the blame for the survey results on the SNP.

Their justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: "The frank, unvarnished truth from staff the length and breadth of Scotland reveals the shocking extent of the problems created by the SNP's rushed and barely thought out single police reforms.

"Staff deserve praise for the commitment they have shown to delivering a service to communities but the toll that has taken is demonstrated by the numbers planning to leave. 

"The SNP Government urgently needs to recalibrate the reform programme if the threatened exodus is to be avoided."

This summer former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill of the SNP said that the single force was a "virtue born of necessity".