Strathclyde Police has announced it will freeze recruitment for both police officers and police staff. The freeze on support staff takes immediate effect, while the recruitment of officers will be suspended after the current intake of 65 probationary officers enter the Scottish Police College this month.
A planned intake of 100 probationary officers to the College between August and October will now not go ahead and all of those affected are being informed of the decision. Thirty of those who have completed the recruitment process will now be placed in an ‘approved for appointment’ pool and may be called upon if and when suitable vacancies arise.
Strathclyde Police currently has 8,038 officers which it pays for out of its own budget. Taking into account officers who are paid for by other bodies - such as the community planning partnerships led by councils such as Glasgow - this figure rises to 8,410.
This decision was taken by the force as a result of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding public sector budgets and has very clearly become an urgent human resources issue impacting on management of that budget by the force.
It directly follows Scotland's senior police meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last week, when Kenny MacAskill stated that a reduction of up to 10% was now expected next year from Scottish policing budgets, substantially more than was planned and discussed previously with the Scottish Government.
This is an obvious impact of the statement by the Deputy First Minister indicating that Scottish Ministers are "protecting health spending by passing on Barnet consequentials". That must mean bigger cuts in funding for police and local government.
A recruitment freeze had already been implemented in other Scottish forces but this significant increase in the savings target for the coming financial year placed a pressing need on the Strathclyde force to act more swiftly than anticipated on a range of issues.
Restrictions on recruitment were mentioned as a key future measure in managing the impact of savings at meetings of Strathclyde Police Authority over recent months and this had effectively become the case for civilian support staff across Strathclyde Police. Unions were also aware it would be developed as a means of protecting services and jobs in the face of significant cuts, given that local authorities had taken similar steps.
Following my election in April as Police Authority convener, I recently met with UNISON and Strathclyde Police Federation. I recognise how vitally important it is that all unions representing support staff and police officers are informed and consulted by the force as this work develops further.
The prospect of a recruitment freeze was also discussed with senior police as an aspect of the force’s “Change to Improve” service reform programme, informed by the direct experience of the Police Authority's elected members with recruitment freezes already applying in a number of councils across the Strathclyde area.
I met the Chief Constable a few hours after the recruitment freeze was announced publicly and we discussed the context for the decision as outlined above along with other measures to meet the necessary savings for balancing our budget in coming years.
We will clearly be discussing the impact in some detail across the Authority at future meetings. Ideally there should have been time for us to consider this more fully prior to the announcement, but the force understandably felt there was a pressing need to act earlier than anticipated.
I welcome the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable showing leadership in difficult times, by opting today to forego performance bonuses worth over £25,000 and £16,000 each despite their entitlement.
Strathclyde Police is not immune from the financial crisis facing the public sector and the reality of the looming budget deficit means there is little option but to freeze recruitment at this stage.
The Police Authority is keen to reassure officers, staff and the public that every possible measure is being taken to protect services in addressing the severe financial pressures we face.
so what your saying is that Labour would cut money for nurses and doctors and Hospitals then
ReplyDeleteYou have to Remember the only reason these cuts are only happening in the first place is cause of the mess your party made of the economy over the last 13 years
Labour MPs made clear they wouldn't have cut as deeply as the UK coalition while Scottish Ministers are responsible for the devolved budget in Scotland; roughly a third goes to the NHS and a third to the 32 Scottish councils. If SNP Ministers follow the rest of Britain as indicated, much deeper cuts will be required from local government and police forces across Scotland. As policing is funded roughly half-and-half between the Scottish Government and councils, that means even more risk in funding pressures.
ReplyDeleteAs for the last thirteen years, it's only in the last two years with a global recession that the country is facing these financial challenges to such a scale.
No Labour made it clear that there cuts would be deeper than anything Thatcher had done
ReplyDeleteyou can not wash your hands of the fact that if Labour had not relaxed the regulations on Banks then a lot of this could have been avoided
you still have not Answered the Question of would you Cut the NHS Budget if you were in charge
So how about Labour councilors just taking the standard Council wage then with no top ups for being on arms length companies or being chairs of CHCP'S then
ReplyDeleteRemind me again just how many new police officers did Labour Promise to put on the streets in your 2007 Manifesto?
ReplyDeleteoh that's right the answer was None
there are more than thousand new officers in Scotland since 2007 yet none of them would have had been appointed if Labour had won in 2007
Action was taken to support the banks - notably two significant Scottish institutions - as there was a direct risk to wages, savings, mortgages and pensions that would have badly affected people in every street across Scotland. Improved regulation is only part of the answer and many prominent Scottish politicians welcomed the dramatic growth of Scottish banks as global players prior to the credit crunch.
ReplyDeleteCouncillors' remuneration - both basic and senior levels - is stipulated by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) set up by Scottish Ministers and each council decides who assumes senior roles. Glasgow City Council is reviewing its arms length bodies and SLARC will consider its view on those too. There will soon be restructuring of local primary health and social care services across Glasgow; are you singling out the excellent East Renfrewshire Community Health & Care Partnership chair, SNP Councillor Douglas Yates?
There are hundreds of police - and additional officers since 2007 - across Strathclyde funded directly by local authorities and community planning partnerships chaired by those councils. Seven of the twelve councils covering Strathclyde have a Labour leader. Credit where it's due, Labour-led councils did put more police in our communities following the 2007 poll.
haha do not make me laugh over CHCP's is that why they are falling apart in Glasgow after Your council went back on the deal they made with NHS
ReplyDeleteand every one in Scotland knows Glasgow is the only council where councilors are paid so much for being on Outside bodies and i have no doubt Slarc will put a stop to it
Credit where credit is due, Stephen?
ReplyDeleteWell of course labour will get credit...
...for creating the scenario where we are living with the highest levels of debt in history, and thats before looking at the Deficit!
Get with it Stephen - drop the tripe you feed to everyone as issued by the Party 'whip', it kids no-one anymore! I should know, I was a Labour voter, as are many dozens I know, who are sick to death of the nonsense being fed to the Scottish population.
The above comments from you are spin, as we both know very well indeed - as do most of Scotland! And considering the distrust that has already been created by the Labour party over the past few years, do you really think it is beneficially for your gain to continue with the 'Whitehall Propaganda' AFTER Labour's bluff has been called, and proven to be false?
Anonymous makes a good point.
ReplyDeleteYour party is campaigning against "SNP cuts" to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at the same time as you are at least hinting at a criticism of Nicola Sturgeon for protecting health spending at the expense of policing. (I don't think matters are as simple as that but that is the way you have framed them).
So what is your position?
Would you ring fence the Barnett consequentials for the NHS or would you not?