Police Scotland faces £19m bill as result of Covid pandemic

Police Scotland has faced additional costs of more than £19 million as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, MSPs have been told.

The cost of protective equipment for officers and laptops to let staff work from home, as well as lost revenues from policing sporting events and airports, have hit the force in the pocket.

But Chief Constable Iain Livingstone told MSPs on Thursday the extra £60m provided to the force in the recent budget means it will no longer be facing a deficit in 2021/22.

PPE supplies have contributed to additional police costs during the pandemic

James Gray, chief financial officer at Police Scotland, spelled out the additional costs of the pandemic as MSPs on Holyrood's public audit committee took evidence from the force.

"In this financial year (2020/21), we're anticipating revenue costs of £6.7m for the full year impact of Covid, £3.5m of which related to PPE and hygiene products, £2m overtime and then over £1m on enhanced cleaning of our estate,” he said.

"So quite substantial, but as the Chief Constable says the biggest impact on us has been loss of income, which is closer to £10m, primarily airports and sporting events and concerts.

"We've had £2.5m worth of additional capital costs and that's predominantly the purchase of laptops to enable people to work from home and follow the stay-at-home message because people were predominantly using desktops."

Mr Gray said Police Scotland did receive additional resource budget funding in last year's spring budget review to assist with the extra costs.

Mr Livingstone said the £60m provided in the budget recently to the force for next year means it will no longer face a “structural deficit”.

He told MSPs there was a "real peak" in sickness rates at Police Scotland in the early months of the pandemic last year, but this dropped to an "all-time low level" in March and April.

New hardline powers to crack down on everyday public liberties as a result of the pandemic, such as house parties and travelling outwith a citizen's local area, have been granted to Police Scotland.

But the Chief Constable said on Thursday these were only used as a "last resort”.

"We support people and encourage people to do the right thing," he said.

"But when people stop doing that and people were blatant, [they can be penalised] and we're getting to the stage now almost a year in and there can't be anyone in the country who knows it's fair or reasonable or lawful to have a house party.

"So on behalf of the public, on behalf of society, our tolerance levels are far less than they were in the early months where people held house parties."

The Chief Constable said he introduced a strategy of ensuring as much "visible presence" in Scotland's communities as possible to encourage compliance with new restrictions on gathering in large groups in popular spots.

"Policing increasingly is asked not just to police the public space, but to police the private space – domestic violence, child protection – and also the virtual space, with lots of harm online,” he said.

"So naturally we have to have resources and capabilities in all those areas."

The organisation is also going through a process of "transformation", he added, with a new strategic workforce plan also produced in the last year.

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