Cash strapped Police Scotland have splashed out more than £700,000 in legal fees in the last five years defending compensation claims brought by officers and staff at employment tribunals.
Shock new figures released under Freedom of Information show that an eye watering £215,138 was paid in fees last year to law firms.
The legal bill was the highest in five years and an increase on the previous years spend of £180,362.
Overall Police Scotland have spent £715,760 defending 130 employment tribunal cases since 2021 for claims including discrimination, unfair dismissal and harassment.
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation yesterday blamed the force for not doing enough to resolve complaints and instead allowing them to drag on.
Mr Kennedy says a simple apology in many cases would settle disputes, avoid the massive legal expense as well as future damaging tribunal findings against the service.
He said:”We have spoken to Police Scotland on several occasion to say that these issues could be resolved through mediation at an early stage but they are choosing not to mediate and going to a full tribunal.
“It is having a negative impact on police offers and a negative impact on the public purse.
“The problem you have in the service is is that the grievance process is taking up to nine months.
“We need more effort to be put into resolving the grievances at an early stage which then stop the legal challenges coming in from members who are in the main rightly aggrieved.
“If we go to an employment tribunal with an officer the prospects of winning are normally quite good.”
The biggest recipients of legal fees in the last five years were law firm Clyde and Co who were paid £222,140, followed by Morton Fraser with £182,630 and Ledingham Chalmers £171,590.
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Mr Kennedy added:” The vast majority of these cases do not settle for a lot of money. Instead the people who make the money are the solicitors and the lawyers.
“They can be settled early and they can be resolved at an early point. If the service is not prepared to do that then all it is golng to to do is create an expense at the other end.
“Nobody wants to apologise, no one wants to say we are sorry and as a result we end up at an employment tribunal. People are just looking to go to work and not be discriminated against.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We always ensure the highest quality of legal service at the best value for the public purse.
“The organisation has introduced learning processes in order to support the understanding of managers of how they can support their people and ensure that all opportunities are taken to resolve matters in advance of escalation.”
Last year, Constable Denise Gemmell received more than £43,000 compensation after a tribunal ruled she had been victimised over a health condition which made her unable to work in cold weather.
The following month a tribunal ruled Police Scotland discriminated against PCs Steven Jones and Greg Tunnock because of their sex.
Their authorisation to carry firearms was pulled after posing for a photograph with singer Tallia Storm, which appeared on TikTok in March 2024. They won a combined payout of almost £50,000.
In 2022, the force paid out £940,000 to former firearms officer Rhona Malone after a tribunal found she had been discriminated against after complaining about a sexist email.
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In March the Daily Record revealed how Police Scotland has paid more than £8million in the previous 10 years in compensation to staff.
Police Scotland have previously said they are facing a severe funding crisis, with an estimated cash shortfall of more than £48 million for the 2026/27 financial year.