Police Scotland's overtime expenditure has surged to £44.4 million for the 2025/26 financial year, more than doubling from £20.1 million a decade earlier in 2015/16. The sharp increase is attributed to prolonged investigations into organised crime and political scandals, including the gangland feud between the Lyons and Daniel crime families and the Operation Branchform probe into former SNP chief Peter Murrell.
Overtime costs driven by major operations
In November, it was revealed that Police Scotland spent £528,000 on overtime during the first six months of Operation Portaledge, a crackdown on gang-related firebombings and attacks launched in March 2025. The operation responded to a series of violent incidents linked to the long-running feud. Additionally, the five-year Operation Branchform investigation into Peter Murrell, convicted in May of fraud and sentenced to five years and three months in prison, incurred over £100,000 in overtime costs, contributing to a total police spend of £2.1 million on the probe.
Union blames officer shortages
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, stated that officers are forced to work extra hours due to chronic understaffing. “Ten years ago we had 1,000 more cops than we have now, that's why the overtime bill is so high. If you need someone to work at short notice, on their day off, because you are short staffed you have to pay them overtime,” he said. Kennedy emphasised that cutting officer numbers inevitably drives up overtime costs and leaves staff exhausted. “They are not getting any downtime. They are doing more and more and more. Physically and mentally they can't cope,” he added.
Weekly spending and rising trend
The overtime figures, released under Freedom of Information, show the force spends an average of £853,000 per week on extra payments. In 2025/26, £40.1 million went to police officers and £4.2 million to civilian staff. This marks a significant increase from £31.1 million in 2024/25 and £28.2 million in 2023/24, and is nearly £13 million higher than the £31.5 million spent in 2013/14, the year Police Scotland was formed.
Political criticism and government response
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill blamed the Scottish Government for the rising costs, stating, “It is clear there has been a complete failure to properly support Police Scotland through years of neglect. Hardworking officers and staff should not have to keep going above and beyond simply to paper over the cracks of the SNP’s inability to properly resource the service.” She added that the £44 million bill is not value for money for taxpayers and urged Justice Secretary Neil Gray to review police funding and rule out further cuts.
A Police Scotland spokesperson defended the overtime spend, saying, “We are working hard across the organisation to ensure our overtime spend remains within a balanced budget. Over the last 12 months, the demand has increased both in respect of policing serious and organised crime, as well as an unprecedented level of protests and events.” The spokesperson acknowledged the hard work of officers and staff and noted that overtime is a flexible mechanism to maintain service.
A Scottish Government spokesperson highlighted record funding of over £1.7 billion for policing in 2026–27, enabling the maintenance of 16,500 officers. They noted that Scotland has more police per capita than England and Wales and that recorded crime has fallen by almost half since 1991.
Officer numbers and sick leave
Police Scotland currently has around 16,430 officers, one of the lowest totals since its formation. Additionally, 498 officers are on long-term sick leave, with 272 absent due to mental health issues or psychological disorders, as reported earlier this week.
