LOTHIAN and Borders Police
has been landed with a bill of up to £1.2 million for policing last
year's climate camp protests and the Pope's visit.
New
figures have revealed that Operation Octave, which saw police tackle
violent protests centred on the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ at Gogarburn
in August, cost £649,600.
Although the bill was split between
eight forces involved in the massive operation, Lothian and Borders
Police is expected to be landed with the vast majority of the cost.
Meanwhile,
Pope Benedict XVI's visit saw 900 police officers and staff deployed
under Operation Zinnia, running up a bill of £543,226.
Police chiefs are now in negotiations with the Scottish Government over recovering costs from the Pontiff's visit to the city, with ministers expected to "comment shortly" on a deal.
But the force seems likely to be forced to meet the climate camp expenditure out of its current budget, which is already facing cutbacks.
The force has already paid out nearly £1.2m investigating jailed former MSP Tommy Sheridan in the run-up to his perjury trial, after spending four years investigating the case, including travelling the UK and Europe to interview witnesses.
Calls were made today for the Scottish Government to recognise the "burden" of policing the climate camp protests.
The release of the figures in the latest police board papers also sparked calls for a re-think on the level of policing given to demonstrations in Edinburgh in a bid to reduce future costs.
Councillor Iain Whyte, convener of the police board, said: "The government didn't make the decision to bring protesters to Gogarburn, like they did with the Papal visit.
"However, I would hope the Scottish Government would recognise that this is a burden that has fallen on Lothian and Borders Police, because it's part of national events that have Scottish and UK impact rather than just the people of Edinburgh."
Cllr Whyte added: "If something is a major national event that is chosen to come to your area, such as the Papal visit, there is the expectation that there will some assistance with the cost of that.
Police chiefs are now in negotiations with the Scottish Government over recovering costs from the Pontiff's visit to the city, with ministers expected to "comment shortly" on a deal.
But the force seems likely to be forced to meet the climate camp expenditure out of its current budget, which is already facing cutbacks.
The force has already paid out nearly £1.2m investigating jailed former MSP Tommy Sheridan in the run-up to his perjury trial, after spending four years investigating the case, including travelling the UK and Europe to interview witnesses.
Calls were made today for the Scottish Government to recognise the "burden" of policing the climate camp protests.
The release of the figures in the latest police board papers also sparked calls for a re-think on the level of policing given to demonstrations in Edinburgh in a bid to reduce future costs.
Councillor Iain Whyte, convener of the police board, said: "The government didn't make the decision to bring protesters to Gogarburn, like they did with the Papal visit.
"However, I would hope the Scottish Government would recognise that this is a burden that has fallen on Lothian and Borders Police, because it's part of national events that have Scottish and UK impact rather than just the people of Edinburgh."
Cllr Whyte added: "If something is a major national event that is chosen to come to your area, such as the Papal visit, there is the expectation that there will some assistance with the cost of that.
"There
were criticisms of the force at the time that they were being too
accommodating to the protesters and I think we need to check that we got
value for money, in terms of reduced impact elsewhere."
Richard Baker MSP, Labour's justice spokesman, said: "It's encouraging that constructive negotiations are going on.
There are steep costs involved here, and they come at a time when the budget cuts to the force are already resulting in civilian staff being lost.
"With the Pope's visit, there were pressures placed on a number of different forces and they will be seeking funds from the Scottish Government.
"With
the demonstrations, we have to look at how much it cost, and whether
there can be a better balance between policing protests and avoiding
these levels of expense."
In November, it was revealed that the
Pope's visit had left the city council with a bill of £250,000.
Its
contribution included the installation of road barriers and signage,
street cleaning along the route and first aiders.
Assistant Chief
Constable Iain Livingstone said: "The Camp for Climate Change ran for
ten days, and involved eight police forces in ensuring that public order
and safety were maintained. The cost of the operation amounted to
£649,000, which includes officer and staff overtime, mutual aid, and
other expenses.
"A total of 23 arrests were made. However, detailed planning and continued dialogue kept disruption to a minimum.
"The
Papal visit was a historic day for Edinburgh, and a significant police
operation was undertaken to ensure the highest level of security was
maintained at all times.
"Negotiations are currently ongoing with the Scottish Government to recover some of the necessary costs incurred."
A
Scottish Government spokesman said: "Ministers expect to comment
shortly on agreements reached on the costs of the Pope's visit."
SIC: SCM/UK