POLICE officers in Scotland have agreed to a pay rise after “frustrating” negotiations, their union has said.
In a letter to members of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), general secretary David Kennedy said the union had accepted a 7% pay rise backdated to April 1, 2023.
He added that the agreement ensured police pay rises were on a par with teachers and firefighters when the cumulative increase of 12.35% since April 2022 was included.
And Kennedy told SPF members a new independent review into police officer pay and benefits would be commissioned and that separate pay negotiations with the Police Negotiating Board of Scotland would begin “immediately”.
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He said: “I appreciate this year's negotiations have been frustrating and have been compounded by the real cost of living pressures facing members.
“Whilst this agreement will not address all of those pressures, it is our hope that it will in some way mitigate them.
“Whilst some technical adjustments will be required within [Police Scotland], we would hope to see the agreement (including backdating) reflected in the October pay.”
It comes after The Herald reported plans for the force to cut civilian staff jobs, while retaining officers, as part of a £19 million savings drive.
And on Monday it was revealed the force planned to stop investigating some crimes because of cuts to its budget.
Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor said: "I am extremely grateful to our officers for their professionalism, commitment to keeping people safe and the goodwill they demonstrate every day.
“Recognising and rewarding the hard work of officers is vital and I thank everyone who has contributed to reaching this agreement.”
Martyn Evans, chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “This is a challenging financial climate for policing and difficult choices are being taken to ensure we stay within the budget.
"Despite this, I am pleased we have now reached an agreement which recognises the valuable contribution of our police officers and the unique set of duties and requirements placed upon them. I am grateful to the staff side for their constructive dialogue.”
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