'Overstretched' police force hit with £31.5m overtime bill
A fall in rank-and-file numbers and a rise in police responsibilities have been blamed for the huge costs.
New figures published in 1919 Magazine on Tuesday show that £28.15m was spent on overtime for officers in 2024/25, plus an additional £3.4m for police staff – a combined 10% rise on the previous year.
Although this is down on 2022/23, when there was a major policing operation following the death of the Queen, there are concerns about the bill for the current year given the demands of President Donald Trump's recent visit to Scotland and forthcoming events like the sold-out Oasis reunion shows at Murrayfield Stadium.
Police Scotland has praised officers and described the nature of policing as 'unpredictable', with overtime a 'flexible mechanism' used by the force.
But the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) warned that the costs are a 'direct consequence' of the 'chronic shortage of police officers across the country'.
SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: 'As demand on policing continues to increase – whether through major events, public safety operations, or everyday calls for service – there simply are not enough officers to meet the workload within normal working hours.
'The reality is that overtime is no longer a contingency – it has become a necessity to maintain even the most basic levels of public safety. This is unsustainable, both financially and in terms of officer wellbeing.
'Officers are regularly being asked to sacrifice their rest days, family time, and personal health to plug gaps caused by years of underinvestment in policing.
'We cannot continue to rely on a shrinking workforce to deliver a growing remit.
'The rising cost of overtime is not a budget management issue – it is a symptom of a wider crisis in police numbers that must be addressed urgently through meaningful investment in recruitment, retention, and support for serving officers.' STV News President Donald Trump's recent visit to Scotland is likely to see police overtime bill soar even further over 2025/2026
The data, obtained by 1919 through a freedom of information request, shows that £42,689,162 was spent on officers' overtime in 2022/23 – the year the Queen died – falling to £25,305,080 a year later and rising again to £28,150,447 in the most recent financial year.
On top of that, overtime paid to police staff totalled £11.24m over the three-year period, with the figures broadly similar in 2023/24 and 2024/25. Periods of sickness, maternity leave, and annual leave are not included.
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill told 1919: 'These eyewatering figures lay bare the immense pressure Police Scotland is under.
'Police officer numbers have collapsed over recent years and big events have piled pressure onto remaining officers.
'There is no evidence that the Scottish Government is taking any serious steps to address this, therefore this is likely to continue.
'Increasing reliance on overtime is costing Police Scotland thousands of pounds a day and exhausting police officers.
'Police officers cannot keep being forced to go above and beyond to paper over the cracks of SNP failure – the SNP must work with Police Scotland to ensure it has the officers it needs to keep our communities safe.' iStock A fall in rank-and-file numbers and a rise in police responsibilities have been blamed for the huge costs.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur added: 'SNP ministers pushed through the creation of a single national force with the promise of significant cost savings which could be invested elsewhere in the service.
'Instead we have seen falling officer numbers, police counters closing and officers run ragged.
'The cases that officers are being called to attend are increasingly complex and time consuming.
'One solution we have proposed to provide mental health workers to work alongside the police and help people in need.
'Officers should not be asked to work beyond their limits day after day.
'After so many years of worsening conditions, it will be hard work for the Justice Secretary to win back trust and convince officers she is in their corner.'
While recruitment and deployment are operational matters for the chief constable, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are investing a record £1.64bn for policing this year, and our continued investment enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025.
'Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and recorded crime has fallen by more than half since 1991.'
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