Police Scotland has admitted officers in Tayside are being forced to drive 15-year-old vehicles amid claims the force’s estate is “crumbling”.
A pair of vehicles dating back to 2003 are still in use, while another registered in 2004 also remains in operation.
In total, there are 11 vehicles more than 10 years old still being used across Tayside and a further 40 between five and 10 years old also in circulation.
The revelation means a significant number of fleet vehicles operational in the region are actually older than Police Scotland itself, which was formed in 2012.
Meanwhile, the oldest in the force’s national fleet dates back an incredible 29 years to 1989, although it is understood the vehicle – used for specialist operations – has a relatively low mileage for its age.
Calum Steele, of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), previously warned of a “crumbling police estate” after revealing some patrol cars are being held together with duct tape and cable ties.
Mr Steele said there had been “decades of failures to invest” in infrastructure and that officers were being asked to do “a hell of a job under very, very difficult circumstances”.
Police Scotland claimed it is “investing heavily in the modernisation of the current fleet, which was inherited from legacy forces and includes a number of specialist vehicles”.
A spokeswoman added vehicles are “assessed for suitability and reliability and are all maintained to a strict high standard”.
However, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the “ageing fleet” shows the Scottish Government “is obsessed with centralisation, and doesn’t understand our areas and our needs”.
He said: “Because of the often dangerous nature of their work, officers should have access to a modern fleet of vehicles which are adaptable to high-speed pursuit, escort, and offender transport.
“Safe, responsive vehicles are in the public interest. The SNP Government’s decision to merge local police forces in 2012 has had long-lasting effects on the amount of resources the new Police Scotland has available.”
The force had to spend an extra £1.2 million last year to repair almost half of its motor fleet after bosses were accused by rank and file officers of failing to spend funds earmarked for new vehicles.
Scottish Labour’s justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said police vehicles are “vital” for frontline officers and said the public will “rightly expect that police should be equipped with the best affordable resources to do their job”.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said it is increasing the amount available for capital expenditure by £3m to £23 million in 2018-19.
He added: “We have ensured that, from April 2018, Police Scotland will fully benefit from being able to reclaim VAT of around £25m a year, previously paid to the UK Government on the purchase of goods and services, including police vehicles.
“Scottish Ministers will continue to press the UK Government for repayment of VAT previously collected from Scotland’s police and fire services by HM Treasury.”
