Scots cops off work amid assaults surge as chief slammed for training delays

Police Scotland officers off work in assault-related absences have soared by more than a third in a year amid a rise in attacks on frontline cops.

Senior and rank-and-file leaders have raised concerns about a pause in safety and other training as the force tries to balance its books.

Scotland’s justice and social affairs magazine 1919 have reported concerns that the national rollout of body-worn cameras for officers has been delayed. Chief Constable Jo Farrell announced last year that the force would begin the process of introducing the technology this summer, but this may now be postponed until the end of the year.

As well as helping to de-escalate incidents, bodycams – which are standard equipment in England and Wales – assist with officer safety. According to a force report submitted to the Scottish Police Authority’s (SPA) people committee, sickness absences due to assault rose by 36.2 per cent between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Safety training courses were postponed between December and January to deploy staff for frontline duties during the busy Christmas and New Year period. Between 1,200 and 1,400 did not receive officer safety training for a month, sparking fears of a backlog, potentially increasing the risk of injuries.

Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) president Rob Hay told an SPA hearing: “When you look at the number of assaults that have gone up, and the fact that the likelihood of injury associated with that is more severe, you could directly attribute that to the fact that we chose to pause that training for a month.”

The force’s latest workforce annual report reveals there were 5,439 assaults in 2023/24 — up 16.2 per cent from the 4,682 recorded in 2022/23, and a 16.8 per cent increase from the 4,657 assaults in 2021/22.

Police Scotland awarded a £13.3million contract to deliver 10,500 body-worn cameras over the next three years to Motorola Solutions, which follows a commitment from the Scottish Government.

1919 Magazine reports that the process of bridging the body-worn video camera technology with existing digital capabilities is the reason behind an anticipated delay in the rollout.

David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, told 1919: “Police officers should not have to go to work to be assaulted. The minimum that you would expect is for employees to be trained to deal with it. There’s no doubt that when body-worn cameras are finally rolled out, we will see a reduction in assaults and officer absences.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Chief Constable has made very clear that the national introduction of body-worn video is a priority for Police Scotland, and we welcomed the announcement earlier this month that the contract to implement it has been awarded.

“The Chief Constable provided an update to the SPA board on 27 June highlighting the complexity of the project and committing to work at pace with Motorola Solutions to ensure that it is embedded effectively for frontline officers and staff as soon as possible. She committed to sharing further details on rollout with the SPA board as progress is made.”

Chief Constable Jo Farrell told the Scottish Police Authority: “We are working with Motorola Solutions to ensure that body-worn video is embedded effectively for frontline officers and staff as soon as possible and we’ll continue to share details as progress is made.”

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