Police Scotland is set to spend almost a million pounds hiring a ‘human rights adviser’ – sparking accusations that the under-fire force values ‘virtue-signalling’ ahead of fighting crime.
In a move criticised as ‘meddling’, the role will offer ‘operational human rights advice’ to senior officers during the ‘planning and execution’ of active policing.
The appointee will also review every aspect of the force’s training, guidance and operating procedures to ensure that ‘no unconscious bias and discrimination exist within the organisation’.
However, Police Scotland already employs an assistant chief constable for Policing Together – on a salary of more than £150,000 a year – who is specifically responsible for equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights.
Critics say the appointment is ‘utterly wasteful’ and ‘absurd’ and that it will reduce available cash to tackle crime.
The uproar follows The Scottish Mail on Sunday’s revelation that Chief Constable Jo Farrell landed taxpayers with a £134,000 bill while buying a second home.
The £270,000-a-year officer, recruited in 2023, bought a £595,000 flat in Edinburgh while keeping on her £1 million family home in Northumberland. She was also handed relocation expenses of £69,901 and ‘tax costs’ of £64,525.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It’s absurd that Police Scotland is spending nearly £1 million on a so-called human rights adviser to meddle in frontline policing while also pleading poverty.
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‘This shows just how skewed priorities have become, moving away from frontline policing to bureaucratic box-ticking. This money should be put towards keeping Scotland’s streets safe.’
And Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘When the Chief Constable is issuing apocalyptic warnings over the impact of SNP budget cuts, this looks utterly wasteful.
‘When police numbers have fallen to woefully low levels and the force is unable to investigate every crime, officers and law-abiding Scots alike expect scarce resources to be directed towards frontline policing.
‘Ministers should ensure resources are used to keep communities safe and get more police on the street, rather than on posts which many will suspect place virtue-signalling above tackling crime.’
Recruitment documents reveal Police Scotland is seeking a ‘suitably qualified and experienced’ human rights adviser.
A three-year contract, due to start in January, will cost £725,000 plus VAT – although the force notes that up to £999,000 will be available if costs increase.
It follows a ‘baseline assessment of the current human rights landscape within Police Scotland’ which produced ‘recommendations to further embed human rights across the organisation’.
These ‘require that we prioritise and resource this work to make improvements. Specialist advice and guidance is needed’. The adviser will even be expected to help direct policing operations.
Adviser will have input into frontline policing operations
The documents state: ‘Police Scotland should ensure its Executive Team have access to operational human rights advice during the planning and execution of complex or sensitive policing operations.
‘The Human Rights Adviser will support in this capability.’
Police Scotland is also recruiting three extra staff ‘to support the practical implantation and embedding of Human Rights and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within Police Scotland’.
Over the past two years, the force has controversially introduced a ‘proportionate’ approach to crime, in which officers are ordered not to launch full inquiries into offences deemed to be ‘minor’ where there is no lead, such as CCTV footage.
Between August 2023 and February this year more than 12,000 crimes reported by the public were ‘directly filed’ – meaning they were not taken forward for full investigation.
Ms Farrell recently told MSPs the force was ‘at a crossroads’ and would have to slash officer numbers without a ‘minimum’ funding boost of £105 million.
Last night Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton defended spending so much money on the latest role. She said: ‘Police Scotland is committed to upholding the human rights of all our communities, both within policing and wider society.
‘Human rights advice will provide us with guidance on a wide range of issues to help us deliver sustainable improvements to outcomes across the service.’