The convener of Tayside Police’s joint board has said he would consult colleagues after it was revealed police across Scotland handed out more than £23.8 million in bonuses since the recession.
Hundreds of officers were given extra pay-outs for ”unpleasant” tasks like clearing snow and attending car accidents.
Scotland’s executive officers, classed as superintendent and above, were paid £1,281,087.60 in bonuses between April 2008 and February this year.
Tayside Police was revealed as the force with the biggest contrast between the bonuses awarded to senior officers and frontline staff.
Executive officers were handed £231,238.12 compared with £8,975 to frontline staff a difference of £222,263.12.
Councillor Jimmy Black, convener of the joint board, yesterday said while the bonus system often reflects the hard work of officers he would consult with his colleagues to ascertain whether it was fair.
Mr Black said: ”As I understand it the bonus system was introduced some years ago to reflect exceptional achievements and also to compensate officers for doing particularly difficult jobs.
”In my opinion the bonus system and the bonus culture is one that the new Police Service of Scotland is to look at but at the moment we have the bonus system that we have and we shouldn’t forget that people who have earned those bonuses have demonstrated significant achievements.”
In total Scotland’s police officers were given £23,860,262 in bonuses since 2008.
Mr Black said: ”We are obviously interested in the figures that have been reported and I will be consulting with my colleagues to review the options of this, with a view to making recommendations to the Police Service of Scotland about the best way forward, and the questions that we will ask are are these bonuses effective, are they fair and are they the best way of rewarding the hard work, dedication and personal sacrifices made by officers at all levels.”
Last night Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation said the organisation was against bonuses.
He said: ”They were introduced to the police service by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett in 2002 and were regarded by many as a way of avoiding putting money directly into police pay.
”The Scottish Police Federation agreed with the Scottish Government that bonus payments would be abolished in 2010.
”Police officers in Scotland are unique in the public sector in that we are the only body of workers who have voluntarily taken a pay cut, with officers seeing their pay reduced by up to £2,000 per annum in many instances.”
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Jonathan Isaby of TaxPayerScotland said that bonuses should be the reserve of those who have carried out exceptional work.
He said: ”As is too often the case in the public sector, this appears to be yet another example of bonuses being handed out as a matter of course to all and sundry just for doing their job rather than as a reward to a few who have performed exceptionally.”
Strathclyde, Central Scotland and Fife awarded frontline staff higher combined bonuses than executive ranks with Fife giving senior officers £142,692 compared to the £188,992.20 given to frontline staff.
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said: ”Bonuses for senior officers are a matter for individual chief constables and their respective police authorities.
”Since 2007 bonuses are part of the senior officer contract. Deputy and assistant chief constables have bonuses as part of their pay package.
In the Grampian Police division executives were given £159,247.70 compared to frontline staff who received £27,759.65.
Three of eight forces gave favoured frontline staff higher combined bonuses than executive ranks, with some senior officers from Strathclyde, Central Scotland and Fife foregoing bonuses in recent years.
Fife gave its handful of senior officers £142,692 compared to the £188,992.20 given to frontline staff.
Mr Black said Tayside Police had not paid out a bonus to the chief constable or any of the executive officers since 2009.