Police officers to 'withdraw goodwill' in protest at pay offer

Police officers in Scotland will withdraw goodwill in protest at a pay offer they said shows "contempt" for their work.

Officers in Scotland are prohibited by law from taking industrial action or withdrawing labour, but the decision means they will stop shifts at their scheduled time and not commence shifts early.

The Scottish Police Federation, the body that represents rank and file officers, said the move would take effect from Friday 1 November at 17:00.

David Kennedy, the general secretary of the SPF, said in a letter to chief constable Jo Farrell that officers had taken the decision out of "sheer disappointment" with a pay offer of 4.75%, compared to its request for a 5.7% increase.

The SPF have been in dispute with bosses regarding pay and conditions, particularly over the amount of extra hours being worked.

In a statement, it said the decision was taken to "safeguard our members health and safety".

By withdrawing their goodwill - which is similar to a work to rule - officers will not take any personal protective equipment or other police items home with them, regardless of where their next tour of duty is, while they will also test all vehicles prior to beginning work.

Officers will still work overtime if requested to by a superior, but will claim for payment afterwards.

In a letter to the chief constable, Mr Kennedy said: "I need to be clear that the formal withdrawal of good-will is not an action the JCC [Joint Central Committee of the SPF] has endorsed lightly.

"It is borne from sheer disappointment and the strength of feeling of our members for the utter contempt this pay offer represents to them.

"Police officers feel totally undervalued by the service, and that has been apparent from the surveys that have taken place in the last six months from both Police Scotland and the SPF."

Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the decision showed that relations between the Scottish government and police officers had "hit rock bottom."

He added: “Given that they cannot legally go on strike, it is the most powerful step they can take to show how angry they are...

“This should be an urgent wake-up call for SNP ministers to stop treating police officers with such contempt.”

The dispute comes as the force warned officer numbers could be cut by up to 1,500 in the next 18 months.

Ms Farrell told MSPs on Holyrood's criminal justice committee that Police Scotland was on track to reach 16,600 full-time equivalent frontline officers.

However ahead of the Scottish budget in December, ministers asked them to model the impact of a “flat cash” settlement - which Ms Farrell said would see numbers fall to 15,200 by March 2026 due to a hiring freeze.

She said the force needed a “realistic” budget settlement in order to keep Scotland safe.