MICHAEL Matheson has been accused of letting down Scotland’s police officers by a woman whose daughter quit the force “physically and emotionally exhausted” by the lack of resources and support for those on the front line.
The Justice Secretary was confronted at a Scottish Police Federation fringe at the SNP conference by the woman, who said many officers were close to a nervous breakdown.
She cited “relentless 10-hour shifts” often without meal or toilet breaks, no family life, “defunct IT systems” and clapped out cars with 130,000 miles on the clock and no Satnav.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Mr Matheson, I’m a member of the SNP. This is not a Tory government in Scotland. This is not a Labour government in Scotland. This is my party in Scotland and you are letting down your officers.
“What, Mr Matheson, would you say to my daughter and to the other officers that are on the edge of nervous breakdowns? I’m not exaggerating.”
The woman said her daughter began her “dream to serve as a police officer” in 2014, but resigned six weeks ago because she had lost hope of any improvement in the service.
She said: “She didn’t think the job would be a walk in the park. I think she’s been let down. She’s not complaining but I am angry.”
A shocked-looking Mr Matheson said he was sorry to hear about the woman’s experience in the police and offered to meet her mother to talk about it.
He acknowledged that not enough was being done on officer welfare and wellbeing in Police Scotland, but said more was now being done to address the issue.
“There’s clearly significantly more that the service needs to take on board,” he said.
He also said more money was being invested in replacing aged vehicles, and police spending had been protected in the budget to maximise resources.
But he admitted that did not address all the financial challenges faced by the force.
“As a government we are trying our best to try and meet that demand when we can.”
Spending watchdogs estimate Police Scotland will accumulate a £200m deficit over the current parliament, despite it being created to save money.
SPF general-secretary Calum Steele said officers felt downtrodden, fatigued and unloved also read Mr Matheson an email from an unnamed officer in his Falkirk constituency.
The officer said corners were being cut because of the rush to do the job, the lack of money and equipment, and vehicles that were “a disgrace, some of them are barely road legal”.
Mr Matheson was also challenged by Aberdeenshire councillor Alastair Forsyth about overstretched officers in rural areas and the terrible state of police vehicles.
Mr Matheson said that if people wanted more spent on the police it would mean cuts in other parts of the Scottish budget, including potentially local government.
He said: “I’m not disputing for a moment that there are not challenges within the service and that significant demand does impact on the way resources are deployed at a local level.
“If we wish to put more money into policing it will have to come out of another public service. Does it come out of local authorities? Does it come out of our health service or another national service? That’s the reality of being in government.”
He also said that if the UK Treasury changed its rules to allow Police Scotland to recover VAT like some public bodies in England it could mean £25m a year for extra investment.
After meeting Ms Matheson the officer’s mother said “politicians” and walked away.
Scottish Labour’s justice spokesperson Claire Baker said: “This is deeply humiliating for Michael Matheson.
“When even SNP members are challenging the justice minister over his record you know things are desperate. Scotland’s hard-working and brave police officers are overworked and undervalued under the nationalists.”
A SPA spokeswoman said: "It would be inappropriate for the Authority to comment on selected anonymous quotes from an as yet unpublished paper that it hasn't had the opportunity to see.
"However, in a recent published inspection report, the independent police inspectorate in Scotland found no evidence of Scottish Government interference in the setting of Authority agendas or submission of papers."
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