Senior figures at Tayside Police have been forced to launch 14 separate investigations into bullying following staff complaints over the last five years but not one employee has been disciplined as a result.
Formal procedures have been lodged by a wide range of staff from a civilian clerical assistant to an inspector since the beginning of 2005.
These figures may just be the tip of the iceberg, as the force is only able to release details of formal grievances recorded by its human resources department.
It is understood other employees have approached their line managers informally to discuss concerns of this nature throughout the period.
The region’s leading police union has also suggested affected employees may be reluctant to make complaints for fear of repercussions.
Dave Hamilton, secretary of Tayside Police Federation, said it was important that in a job requiring a “disciplined” structure, a balance was sought between the issuing of orders and genuine harassment.
He added, “We would support any member through a formal process if they came to us with concerns about bullying, and we would advise them as to how best to deal with it.
“Bullying can be a difficult thing for people to raise because they may feel that they might then be exposing themselves to further problems.
“It’s very difficult to get people to come forward.”
However, Mr Hamilton added that all complaints should be dealt with on a “case-by-case basis,” so as not to put employees in danger of being disciplined following “unfounded” allegations.
Although he admitted that he had not been made aware of any problems with the way the force handled supposed incidences of bullying, he admitted gathering enough evidence to support disciplinary action was frequently challenging.
As part of an investigation into the problem, The Courier asked the force to release details of the divisions in which the formal grievances were raised via freedom of information legislation.
However, the information supplied suggested this was only available from 2008.
From then onwards five complaints were made by employees working in the Perth and Kinross area, while there was one grievance each lodged in the Angus and Dundee-based divisions.
Over the period as a whole, no employee complained formally about bullying more than once.
A spokeswoman from the force said, “Supervisors and managers have a personal responsibility to take grievances seriously and to ensure a reasonable and proportionate response.
“All issues raised must be investigated fairly, promptly and thoroughly and all possible means of resolving the issues explored.”