Tayside Police have paid out more than £700,000 to suspended officers and staff over just four years.
One officer spent more than three years on full pay while disciplinary investigations were being carried out by the force.
Campaign group TaxpayerScotland said action should be taken to ensure disciplinary cases don’t drag on.
Spokeswoman Emma Boon said: ”Taxpayers will be shocked that some police officers and staff have been paid for months on end whilst suspended and waiting for a decision about their future.”
A total of 23 officers 20 constables and three sergeants and 16 staff have started suspensions since 2007, one of which was an officer sanctioned before the end of March this year.
The three longest suspensions were 1,199 days, 675 days and 655 days for police officers and 606 days, 344 days and 287 days for staff.
The total paid out over the period of just more than four years is £569,104.87 to officers and £134.157.01 to staff £703,261.87 in total.
Tayside Police staff secretary for Unison, George McIrvine, said disciplinary cases often drag on because of court cases against those under sanction.
”In these cases the people are involved in relatively low-level crime but because of that can end up suspended for a year or more,” he added.
Recent cases include PC Paula Wales, who was found not guilty after a four-day trial of failing to disclose the telephone number and whereabouts of John Sheridan, who had an outstanding warrant against him.
Ms Wales was suspended on full pay for almost two years, from April 2010 until February 2012 but was cleared to return to work following the verdict.