Fears of police retirement boom with almost 1,000 officers eligible to leave, figures show
dailyrecord.co.ukAlmost 1,000 Police Scotland officers are eligible to retire between now and next summer, new figures have revealed. The overall police headcount has fallen to 16,207, its lowest level since 2007, as fears rise the strength of the force is declining.
According to figures released by Scotland’s justice and social affairs magazine 1919, 945 officers are coming up for retirement within the next year, six per cent of the total.
The figures come as recent statistics revealed four per cent of Police Scotland officers are currently on long-term sick leave, with a further 13 per cent on modified duties, usually applied to those recovering from illness or injury.Responding to the panic, Justice Secretary Angela Constance said Police Scotland had “indicated” this had increased to around 16,400 officers by the beginning of August.
The Scottish Police Federation has warned Police Scotland cannot recruit enough officers to replace those who are leaving, despite ongoing efforts to attract more staff.David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “Efforts to bring Police Scotland back up to its establishment figure of 16,600 are being hampered because the service simply cannot recruit the number of officers it needs to replace those who are leaving.
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