General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation branded the figures “disturbing”.
More than 1000 of Scotland’s frontline cops are on sick leave – three times the UK absence rate.
The latest figures show that 1030 officers are currently off ill – 6.3 percent of the police workforce across 19 different departments. In Contact Command Control, which handles 999 calls from the Scottish public, 61 cops are off work – 10.2 percent of all staff there.
In comparison the sickness absence rate across the UK for workers in both the private and public sectors is just two percent, according to government body the Office of National Statistics.
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, yesterday described the sick leave figures as “disturbing”.
He added:”The workloads and pressures on police officers are relentless.
“They are going off sick because that is the only respite they get.
“In the past that wouldn’t have happenned. They would have stuck it out.
“They are very high figures and unless more is done they are going to continue to rise.”
The sick leave numbers which were released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information are up to September 30 and are measured from a total of 16,631 officers.
Mr Kennedy added:”We need more police officers.
“When they go to their work they are full on from the time they start to the time they leave.
“They are not getting the chance to ‘reset’ and this is having a negative effect on them and on the public
“People are at breaking point, that is the reality.”
The highest absence rate is in Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing at 10.26 percent. It was set up three years ago to prevent crime, reduce violence and improve road safety.
The police area with the highest absence rate is’ K’ which covers Renfrewshire and Inverclyde including Greenock and Paisley, where 7.5 percent are off sick.
Scotland’s biggest police division, in Glasgow, has 6.7 percent of its’ 2341 staff on sick leave
The Specialist Crime Division which investigates murders, organised crime, and terrorism has 100 out of 1,938 staff (5.1 percent) absent.
The lowest absence figures are in ‘A’ division, which covers the north east of Scotland including Aberdeen, where 4.2 percent of staff were off sick.
In September the Daily Record reported how the numbers of officers absent due to mental illness had soared by 80 percent in the last five years.
Yesterday we revealed how Scotland’s cops are using spit hoods every four hours to protect themselves from attacks, having been been deployed almost 9000 times in the last four years. Last week we revealed how assaults on police officers are at a 10-year high.
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP said:“Years of cuts to policing have pushed services to breaking point and taken a huge toll on officers and staff.
“With fewer police officers on the beat now compared to 2013 when Police Scotland was established, there is a real risk that stress levels will continue to rise among overstretched officers and staff..”
Scottish Conservative shadow minister for community safety Sharon Dowey MSP added: “These deeply alarming figures expose the relentless pressure Scotland’s police officers are under and how far too many have been pushed beyond breaking point.
“Savage and sustained cuts mean there almost 1,000 fewer officers on the streets than before the pandemic, and they simply don’t have the resources they need to match demand.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:”The SNP promised that their centralisation of Scottish policing would save money that could then be invested in boosting officer numbers. Instead, those numbers have plummeted, with many of the officers who remain feeling so overwhelmed that they are taking leaves of absence or quitting altogether.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are investing a record £1.64 billion for policing this year, and our continued investment enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes during 2025-26.
“Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and they continue to be the best paid in the UK at the minimum and maximum of each rank, with an above inflation two-year pay deal for officers agreed in August.”
Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Officers and staff work hard to deliver for communities and keep people safe and our workforce is under pressure from increased threats and a rapidly intensifying operational environment.
“Working in policing is a job like no other and our officers and staff find themselves in situations which can be stressful, traumatic and can have a lasting impact on them
“The health and welfare of our people is one of our highest priorities and we have a range of mechanisms in place to support our people on their journey back to health and, subsequently, to work.”
