Attempts to cut the cost of policing by clamping down on overtime have led to officers working more, being paid less, and spending less time on the beat, a Scottish Police Federation spokesman has claimed.
The claims come as a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Courier revealed police overtime in the Tayside and Fife areas has seen a dramatic drop in recent years.
Just three years ago, the then Fife Constabulary paid out £1,913,320 in overtime, this year, Fife Division paid out only £491,920.
Tayside Police in 2012/13 paid out £2,572,199, and this year Tayside Division slashed that by more than a million to £1,521,832.
A Dundee police officer, speaking under condition of anonymity, said that in an attempt to cut down overtime, officers are asked to leave incidents at the end of their shift, and hand over to other officers.
This has the effect of doubling up court time as two officers must attend instead of one, meaning there are fewer officers on the beat.
David Hamilton, chairman of the north area committee of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “The courts system is grossly inefficient, and savings need to be made holistically across the whole criminal justice system.”
Mr Hamilton said the cuts were “certainly something of a risk” and explained some of the reasons behind the £1 million drop in overtime pay in Tayside.
He said: “What you have is a lot of officers still working outside of their hours, and simply not claiming it. These cuts have put officers under pressure.
Many officers rely on overtime pay, or at least feel the benefits of extra pay.
Mr Hamilton said: “There’s no question that officers have less money in their pockets, and this problem has been compounded by a pay freeze for two years and then a 1%, below inflation, pay rise.
“Officers have taken an 18% pay cut in real time, and this cut in income can have an effect on officers and their families.”
Police Scotland said the launch of the single force in 2013, with new working techniques and centralisation of some police activities, was cracking down on overtime.
A spokesman said: “Police Scotland has implemented a more efficient and effective management of overtime which has resulted in significant savings.”
The news was welcomed by campaign group the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
A spokesperson said: “Taxpayers will be very pleased that the cost of overtime is coming down.
“There remains work to do and we must remain vigilant, but this is an example to other forces of how frontline policing can be protected whilst keeping costs under control.”