The Scottish Police Federation's governing body rejects £565 pay increase

A pay increase of £565 for Scottish police officers has been rejected by the Scottish Police Federation.

Its governing body, the joint central committee (JCC), confirmed it was unanimous in its support for staff to dismiss the offer.

It criticised the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and Scottish ministers for "the continued failure to return to the negotiating table".

Police Scotland said it was committed to reaching a settlement.

The Police Negotiating Board has been handling the negotiations between the "staff side" - the Scottish Police Federation, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents and the Scottish Chief Police Officers Staff Association - and the "official side".

The JCC said it had also agreed to support internal forms of action, which it said was "necessary and proportionate".

Calum Steele, the Scottish Police Federation's general secretary, said: "Our executive committee has today unanimously endorsed a series of actions to be undertaken by our members as a result of the failure of the government to seek to resolve our ongoing pay dispute.

"At their most basic level, these actions amount to the wholesale removal of the good will that the service requires to operate.

"Significantly, this good will and flexibility saves the police service money, and its removal will be both costly and disruptive."

The Scottish Police Federation will communicate with its members on the issue over the coming days, Mr Steele said.

He added: "These actions will be seeking to mitigate the disruptive and costly impact of policing on them and their families, at a time when the cost of living crisis is compounding the mental and physical ill health of officers.

"The resolve of our members is strong. These actions are capable of being escalated, and they are capable of being sustained.

"We do not expect the impact of these actions to be felt by our communities as they are entirely internally focused, and are not in any way designed to diminish the service we provide them."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We recognise the considerable goodwill officers bring to their roles on a daily basis as they keep people safe across the country, and this is also valued by the communities they serve.

"We therefore remain committed, through the Police Negotiating Board, to seeking a settlement."

The Scottish Conservative's justice spokesman Jamie Greene MSP accused the Scottish government of "cynically exploiting the fact that police officers cannot strike".

He said: "Due to planned budget cuts to policing, this problem could become a recurring theme every year unless the SNP U-turn and give the police the resources they promised in their manifesto."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "Police officer pay is negotiated through the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), as it has been for many years. The PNB process is ongoing in relation to pay for 2022/23, and we await the outcome of those discussions."