Latest news with #Tump
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Police Scotland overtime bill hits £31.5m as union warns of chronic staff shortage
The new figures are published today in 1919 Magazine. Police overtime has soared to £31.5m a year amid warnings the single force is facing a 'chronic' shortage of staff. The total taxpayer bill works out at £85,000 a day and covers police officers and staff. Official figures from May revealed there were 16,553 full-time equivalent officers, down from 17,496 in 2013. Police union figures have warned for months that the fall will lead to an increase in overtime to ensure crimes are properly investigated. According to figures published today in 1919 Magazine, £28.15m was spent on overtime for officers in 2024/25, plus an additional £3.4m for police staff. The combined £31.5m is a 10% rise on the previous year. Figures for the current year will not be known for some time, but the costs of policing President Tump's visit are expected to push up overtime costs again. Scottish Police Federation 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.' Labour MSP Pauline McNeill: 'These eye-watering 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.' Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur said: '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. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are investing a record £1.64 billion 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.' Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: 'The nature of policing is unpredictable, and overtime is a flexible mechanism which can help to ensure we maintain an effective service for all our communities. "Policing is relentless and right across the country, officers and staff are working incredibly hard to keep people safe and the organisation is deeply grateful for all their hard work.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'No justification for this': World reacts to Trump's tariff announcement
World leaders have begun reacting after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs across the world. Mr Tump announced a 10% trade tariff on all imports from the UK. He said he would impose a to the US and higher duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners. Speaking at a White House event entitled 'Make America Wealthy Again', the president held up a chart detailing the worst offenders, hitting at foreign "cheaters". These are some of the world leaders' reactions. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said there is "no justification" for US tariffs. "I deeply regret the US decision to impose 20% tariffs on imports from across the European Union," the taoiseach added. "We see no justification for this. More than €4.2bn worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and the US daily. "Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one. Tariffs drive inflation, hurt people on both sides of the Atlantic, and put jobs at risk." Read more: Manfred Weber, the president of the largest party in the European Parliament, the EPP, said: "To our American friends, today isn't liberation day - it's resentment day. Donald Trump's tariffs don't defend fair trade; they attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic. "Europe stands united, ready to defend its interests, and open to fair, firm talks." Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country would fight tariffs with countermeasures. "It's essential to act with purpose and with force, and that's what we will do," he told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss Canada's response. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "It is the American people who will pay the biggest price for these unjustified tariffs. "This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs. We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, seen as close ally of the US president, called the tariffs "wrong" and said they would not benefit the United States. "We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global players," she said. The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to protect the country's companies and workers and to "continue to be committed to an open world." His Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, said: "We don't want growing trade barriers. "We don't want a trade war. "We want to find our way back to a path of trade and cooperation together with the US, so that people in our countries can enjoy a better life."
Sky News
02-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'No justification for this': World reacts to Trump's tariff announcement
World leaders have begun reacting after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs across the world. Mr Tump announced a 10% trade tariff on all imports from the UK. He said he would impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners. Speaking at a White House event entitled 'Make America Wealthy Again', the president held up a chart detailing the worst offenders, hitting at foreign "cheaters". These are some of the world leaders' reactions. 6:39 Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said there is "no justification" for US tariffs. "I deeply regret the US decision to impose 20% tariffs on imports from across the European Union," the taoiseach added. "We see no justification for this. More than €4.2bn worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and the US daily. "Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one. Tariffs drive inflation, hurt people on both sides of the Atlantic, and put jobs at risk." Manfred Weber, the president of the largest party in the European Parliament, the EPP, said: "To our American friends, today isn't liberation day - it's resentment day. Donald Trump's tariffs don't defend fair trade; they attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic. "Europe stands united, ready to defend its interests, and open to fair, firm talks." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "It is the American people who will pay the biggest price for these unjustified tariffs. "This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs. We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, seen as close ally of the US president, called the tariffs "wrong" and said they would not benefit the United States. "We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global players," she said.
