By Bryan Kay

TAYSIDE POLICE Chief Constable John Vine yesterday said a working group is looking into alternatives to the force’s controversial shift system, but insisted the vast majority of officers were not demoralised by the seven-days-on pattern.

He was speaking following claims of low force morale and he also praised his staff for improvements delivered despite undertaking the enormous task of policing the G8 summit.

Mr Vine said that he was disappointed by the action taken on Wednesday by joint police board member Neil Powrie who, in an article in The Courier, aired his grievances about the state of morale among rank and file officers.

The chief constable, who has attracted direct criticism over the issue recently, admitted the seven-day shift system was not perfect but said performance indicators stood up in comparison to other forces in Scotland.

He was adamant that no great evidence existed to support allegations a significant number of officers are demoralised.

“Mr Powrie well understands the complexities of policing in the 21st century and knows the extent and range of pressures exerted on police forces in tackling crime and in meeting public demand and expectation,” said Mr Vine.

“He is also aware that members of the force executive are available to him at all times to discuss issues concerning Tayside Police. I am surprised and disappointed, therefore, that Mr Powrie has chosen to air his concerns through the media rather than make any approach to us to establish our position.”

He added, “We have acknowledged that the traditional shift system is not perfect. To this end there is no controversy.”

Mr Vine added, “At the same time officers are well aware that they will be required to work shifts on joining the police and they are well paid for the work they undertake.”

A newly recruited constable in Tayside receives a salary of £20,397, rising to £22,770 after 31 weeks and the top scale for the rank is £32,025.

Mr Vine added, “Tayside Police has looked at, and experimented with, shift arrangements through the years.

“A recent attempt at a variable shift arrangement was, in general terms, favourably received by officers. But it reduced the quality of service to the public and as such failed to meet the necessary balance.

“If there were any such thing as the perfect shift system I have no doubts that it would have been implemented not only UK- wide, but across the globe.

“In the absence of such a system, we are committed to looking at ways in which we can establish a system that best meets the needs of the public and our staff.”

Mr Vine confirmed that a working group, involving the Police Federation and seconded officers, has reconvened following the G8 summit period.

“It had to be suspended when Tayside Police was informed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that the G8 world leaders’ conference was to be held within the force area,” he continued. “Post-G8, the force fulfilled its obligation to re-establish a working group to actively seek viable alternatives to the existing shift system for both officers and support staff who operate on the seven-day shift pattern.

“The working group is led by an experienced chief inspector who began work on the group on September 26. Each of the three policing divisions in Tayside is represented on the working group, along with UNISON and staff association members.

“The evidence does not support the assertion that any great number of officers are demoralised.

“Traditional indicators of low morale are high sickness rates, high turnover of staff, low recruitment levels and low achievement by the organisation.

“Current attendance rates stand at 95.7%, leaving a sickness rate of 4.3%. We have seen a downward trend for almost four years and this has been favourably commented on by joint board members and others.

“There is not a high turnover of staff—excluding retirements, approximately 2% of our police officer staff, including probationers, have either chosen to leave, have transferred, or been dismissed since January 1.

“In June of this year the force undertook a recruitment campaign, which resulted in 1185 inquiries and generated 353 applications to join Tayside Police as a probationary officer.”

Mr Vine reiterated the message that officers should use formal avenues to voice concerns and would not be “persecuted” for doing so.

“Whilst I cannot guarantee that every issue will be resolved to the satisfaction of the individual, I can assure them that their views will be listened to and considered,” he said.

“I believe that our staff is exceptional and has delivered improvements year on year. This year has placed extraordinary demands on the force as a result of G8 and Tayside Police staff has excelled.

“Their morale is not to be taken lightly. That is why I firmly believe that any issues should be discussed in detail between those who can best resolve them.”