Dozens of serving police officers in the north-east are actively looking for new careers in the oil and gas industry.
Global oil field service company Petrofac, which has offices in Aberdeen, said it had received CVs from about 30 people who wanted to work offshore.
A company spokesman said officers were ideal candidates for emergency response and crisis management roles because of their extensive training and experience.
He added that many former police officers were already working in the North Sea industry.
North-east Conservative MSP Nanette Milne said it was “deeply concerning” – but not surprising – that former Grampian Police officers wanted to quit because some had contacted her to say how unhappy they were working for Police Scotland.
She claimed that morale within the north-east division of the force had hit “rock bottom”.
It is understood many officers are angry they have been forced to abandon tried and tested methods of dealing with suspects and adopt tactics such as stop and search under the leadership of Sir Stephen House, former chief constable of Strathclyde Police.
Officers have also claimed that the level of psychological support provided to help them overcome traumatic situations has diminished under the new force, which was launched on April 1 last year to save money.
Figures obtained through freedom of information legislation show that A&B division, which covers Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray, lost 80 officers last year, including 17 after the creation of the Scottish force on April 1.
Mrs Milne said: “It is deeply concerning that such a high number of police officers have expressed their wish to leave the service and have actively taken steps to look to find a new job within the oil and gas industry.
“First Minister Alex Salmond keep telling us that everything is wonderful within the police force
“For some time now north-east officers have been saying that they feel the single force has been nothing more than a Strathclyde Police takeover of Grampian Police.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the issue was an operational matter for Police Scotland but pointed out that Grampian’s full-time equivalent police officer numbers increased by 10% from March 2007 to March 2013, from 1,374 to 1,512.
“This government has put over 1,000 extra police in communities since 2007, helping to cut crime levels to a 39-year low,” she added.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Officers do leave the service for a variety of reasons, including ill-health, retirement, or for other employment.”
Recommended for you
