Budget for Scotland's 'AC-12' squad boosted to £8.5m as officers probe police complaints
dailyrecord.co.ukSpending by cash-strapped Police Scotland on a department probing cops has risen by almost £4million in the last decade, the Sunday Mail can reveal.In the financial year 2014/15, the budget for the forces Professionals Standards Department (PSD) was £4.8million.However, figures released under Freedom of Information shows spending for 2023/24 soared to £8.5million for the group.The PSD – equivalent to TV show Line of Duty’s AC12 – investigates complaints from members of the public about officer conduct.It also looks into allegations of criminal conduct including corruption.A report last month showed 15 officers were sacked or resigned from Police Scotland last year after facing gross misconduct charges.Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “The increase in officer and staff costs in the Professional Standards Department is reflective of 10 years of pay increases and also changes to our Complaint Handling Model over the years.“Additional officers were brought into PSD to service this new model.” Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
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