- Officers being paid time and a third sparking fears it could overstretch budgets
- Around 3,600 reports made in first 48 hours of the new law coming into force
- Scottish Police Federation predicts lasting impact on workloads and budgets
Dozens of police officers are being paid overtime every day to deal with the deluge of complaints sparked by Scotland’s new hate crime law.
It is understood up to 40 police officers have been called in to do extra hours every day since Monday in a bid to wade through all the reports submitted.
Each officer is being paid time and a third, sparking fears the overtime costs could end up taking hundreds of thousands of pounds out of an already overstretched budget.
Around 3,600 reports were made in the first 48 hours of the law coming into force on Monday. It is expected that figure could now have almost doubled.
There is also concern tomorrow’s Rangers v Celtic clash could lead to another spike in reports.
Scottish Police Federation general secretary David Kennedy warned the impact on officer workload and the force’s budget due to increased overtime could last ‘weeks or months’
Around 3,600 reports were made in the first 48 hours of Scotland’s new hate crime law coming into force on Monday
Officers say they must check every online complaint individually in case they contain covert messages from victims of domestic abuse or people trafficking.
Scottish Police Federation general secretary David Kennedy yesterday warned ‘the control room was at breaking point before and this has just piled on the pressure.’
He predicted the impact on officer workload and the force’s budget due to increased overtime could last ‘weeks or months’.
Mr Kennedy said: ‘It’s been standard over the last few years for control rooms to struggle at times with the workload, but they are reverting now to overtime cover.
‘It’s online complaints that are causing the biggest issue rather than calls. Because they are anonymous, they still have to be looked through with a fine-toothed comb.’
He explained that officers need to check online reports for hidden messages that may be pleas for help.
Some domestic abuse victims or those who have been trafficked can sometimes try to reach out through means that can’t be traced back to them.
Mr Kennedy added: ‘The hope is that once the public realise where the bar sits for a hate crime that it might change the number of people submitting inquiries, but you can’t tell what the public is going to do. If someone thinks a crime has been committed and reports it online then officers have to look at it.’
Tory MSP Russell Findlay last night blamed First Minister Humza Yousaf’s ‘arrogance’ and refusal to listen to warnings.
He added: ‘It is utterly disgraceful if this results in preventing the police from being unable to fulfil their duties.’
It is believed many of the complaints received so far have targeted Harry Potter author JK Rowling and the First Minister himself.
Tomorrow’s Old Firm match at Ibrox is expected to generate a new flurry of complaints due to chants and shouts from fans.
Critics of the new hate crime law fear that the police force will be overwhelmed by thousands of complaints that each have to be investigated
Former Rangers and Scotland star Ally McCoist blasted the new law earlier this week and stated: ‘I can guarantee you, next Sunday at Ibrox, I, along with 48,000, will be committing a breach of that hate Bill in the Rangers v Celtic game. It is madness.’
Mr Findlay said: ‘Humza Yousaf arrogantly refused to listen to anyone who warned that his hate crime law would put extreme pressure on police officers. The SNP, backed by Labour, still voted for this terrible legislation despite these practical concerns.’
Mr Yousaf has urged people not to waste ‘precious’ police time. He said: ‘I am very concerned we have seen those complaints but I know the police are very adept at dealing with vexatious complaints. They do it every day and know how to treat them.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘While we have seen a substantial increase in the number of online reports being received since April 1, these have been managed within our contact centres and have not impacted frontline policing.’
