Police chiefs paid out £430,000 to a senior employee who lodged a bullying complaint against Chief Constable Jo Farrell, it has been revealed.
Oversight body the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) sanctioned the extraordinary package following a bullying complaint by Andrew Page – the force’s most senior civilian staff member.
The former Deputy Chief Officer was given an “early retirement “ package which including four years’ worth of pension payments.
Mr Page retired in April 2024 but the settlement has only been confirmed this week with the publication of the Scottish Police Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts.
The Edinburgh Reporter can reveal the settlement followed claims by Mr Page that during the grievance procedure the SPA misled his legal team over a controversial meeting organised by Chief Constable Farrell.
In October 2023 Mr Page lodged a formal grievance after the newly appointed Chief brought in former Durham Constabulary colleague Gary Ridley to review Police Scotland operations.
He further alleged Ms Farrell had demonstrated a “severe lack of judgement” by arranging a meeting between disgraced ex Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan and Police Scotland’s Chief Digital & Information Officer Andrew Hendry.
Gargan was forced to resign from the police service in 2015 after being found guilty of eight charges of misconduct – including “sexting” on his police issue phone – and was later stripped of his Queen’s Police Medal.
Addressing claims that the Chief Constable’s judgement was flawed, the SPA’s Chair of Audit, Risk and Assurance, Mary Pitcaithly, denied Ms Farrell was involved in arranging the meeting.
She told Page’s legal team: “In fact, Mr Gargan contacted Andrew Hendry after obtaining his contact details from the Chief Constable’s office.
“She did not ask Andrew Hendry to meet with him. Mr Gargan was trying to sell his consultancy services – unsuccessfully, as it turned out.”
However, The Edinburgh Reporter has email records from the Chief Constable sent directly to Andrew Hendry instructing him to set up a meeting and directly contradicting the narrative set out by Ms Pitcaithly.
In August 2023, Chief Constable Farrell told Mr Hendry: “Prior to my arrival on 9th October, I would like to introduce you to Nick Gargan who has been supporting me informally in my national DDaT (digital date and technology) role.
“Nick has a wealth of experience and knowledge in relation to technological transformation.
“Today I have met with Nick and agreed it would be really useful for the two of you to have a meeting and explore what opportunities exist for us to develop and accelerate digital transformation.”
Nick Gargan was copied in to the introductory email. The following day Mr Hendry replied to both parties, offering to set aside time for a face-to-face or an online meeting with Gargan.
The SPA annual report, published on Monday, showed Mr Page received “other pay items” totalling £374,000, which it is claimed is part of a “Voluntary Redundancy/Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme”.
With other sums, including £9,000 paid directly to his legal representatives, the total package came to £429,000.
A Police Scotland insider said: “David Page had no intention whatsoever of retiring early but clearly his position had become untenable and the relationship with the new Chief Constable had broken down completely.
“The so-called ‘early retirement’ payment included four years of pension contributions which he would otherwise have accumulated if he had been able to continue working until retirement age.
“He had a very strong hand to play after it became clear he had been misled over this controversial meeting that Chief Constable Farrell was trying to set up to introduce Nick Gargan to Police Scotland decision makers.”
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said:“Hard-pressed Scots will be stunned this former Police Scotland boss has pocketed such a massive golden goodbye.
“At a time when the police are facing yet more cuts from the SNP, forking out this money to anyone is clearly a strain on taxpayers’ cash. Public bodies like the police must always prioritise delivering good value for taxpayers when signing off on these eye-watering sums.”
The Edinburgh Reporter asked the SPA if the settlement package represented good value to Scottish taxpayers and to confirm if it had launched any investigation into the circumstances which led to providing misleading information to Page’s legal team.
A spokesperson for the SPA said: “David Page left Police Scotland in May 2024 under terms consistent with the current approved Voluntary Redundancy/Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme. Full details of the payment made to him are published in our annual report and accounts.”
Chief Constable Farrell’s reign as Scotland’s top police officer has been mired in controversy.
Just weeks into the role she was forced to issue a public apology over an “error of judgement” after she commandeered a police vehicle to drive her and Gary Ridley from Edinburgh to their Northumberland homes at the height of Storm Babet in October 2023.
And last month it was revealed by The Edinburgh Reporter that the taxpayer picked up the bill for £134,000 in “benefits in kind” attributed to the Chief Constable and signed off by the SPA.
It emerged that rather than relocate to Scotland the Chief Constable – who earns £270,000 a year – had retained the family home in the north of England and the benefits in kind was for relocation expenses and taxes connected to a second home she and her husband had purchased in Edinburgh.
