By Steven Bell.

SPIRALLING PENSION costs could see a reduction in front-line police officers in Tayside, the force’s outgoing chief constable has warned.

John Vine revealed that his force had found significant savings recently in order to help local authorities balance the books.

In the last year alone the force has generated savings of £1m to help the local council cover costs.

Mr Vine said that unless the Scottish Government steps in, chief constables across Scotland will have no alternative but to make substantial cut- backs in critical policing areas.

The warning comes at a time when the Scottish Government is seeking to increase the number of police officers in Scotland by 1000 over the next three years at a cost of more than £90 million.

Mr Vine said, “Unless police pensions are taken to the centre and out of operational policing budgets, then chief constables are going to be forced to take the decision of taking police officers off the streets.

“Last year in Tayside we offered £1m in savings to the council to help them balance the books.

“Up until now it has had no impact on direct policing but we cannot go on like this.

“At the end of this year, there will be a gap between budgets and pensions.

“With the recent changes to the scheme, people will be more tempted to leave the service early.

“We need some money from the Scottish Government to fund the shortfall.”

Councillors heard earlier this year that Tayside Police was having to use interest accruing on its own cash balances to deal with “pension pressures” in the wake of changes to the funding of Scottish forces.

The Scottish Government has decided to make no allowance for pension cost pressures in the cash it has allocated to police forces, but has instead included them in the wider local authority financial settlement.

Mr Vine continued, “The money for the extra police officers has been ring fenced.

“It will mean an extra 1000 officers across Scotland and a further 74 officers in Tayside—that is not in any doubt.

“However the money for the rest of the police budget isn’t ring fenced so it will have to compete with other local authority priorities.

“Last year we had to offer up savings of £1 million to keep public spending low.

“If we have to maintain that it may mean that in the future we will have to take measures that could have a dramatic effect on front-line policing.

“I’m urging the Scottish Government and the Scottish local authorities to sit down with police conveners and discuss the issue.

“It’s vitally important that we collate how much money is missing and work out how we can get that money.

“Ultimately if pensions aren’t taken out of operational policing budgets there will be cutbacks in other areas.

“There are many police officers retiring following a very heavy recruitment throughout the 1970s.

“We will have real difficulty replacing these retiring officers as well as recruiting 1000 extra officers.

“It is in recruitment that the pinch could really be felt because there is limited scope to make saving in other parts of the police budget—it will see chief constables having no alternative but to cut back on front-line policing.”

The Scottish Government is examining the feasibility of centralising the funding and administration of police pensions, but a spokesman said, “It is a complex area and if feasible would take some time to achieve.”

Mr Vine will next month take up a new position as head of the Border and Immigration Inspectorate.