COPS paid informants almost £1.5million in five years, we can reveal.
The bill includes £321,419 forked out by skint Police Scotland to grasses in 2023.
Sources told how inside knowledge provided by Covert Human Intelligence Sources, or CHIS, has often proved crucial in bringing major hoods to justice.
Figures obtained under freedom of information laws show they were paid £277,027 in 2019, £264,607 a year later, £305,588 in 2021 and £288,850 in 2022, bringing the total to £1,457,493.
It’s understood the cash goes through payment plans instead of lump sums, which could arouse suspicion among gangland figures.
Bungs can range from less than £100 for tips in more minor cases to many thousands of pounds for helping to fight organised crime.
But last night a source told how rank-and-file officers will be “annoyed” at the size of payouts in the midst of a financial crisis.
They said: “I can understand we need to pay informants but I’m not convinced it truly achieves the end goal of reducing crime. If a drug dealer gets taken off the streets, they’re replaced in hours.
“A lot of cops will be annoyed that so much is being paid for information when Police Scotland is facing major cutbacks.”
A force spokesman said: “The use of Covert Human Intelligence Sources is a successful, highly regulated and independently scrutinised tactic which supports officers to keep people safe.”
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It comes as it emerges police are keeping callers hanging on for more than six minutes as they try to report a crime, figures show.
Members of the public dialling the non-emergency 101 number are facing a rise in waiting times — up by an average of almost two minutes.
Top brass have linked the slower response to a 15 per cent spike in 999 calls which take priority.
The figures, from April to December last year, emerged after Police Scotland announced that some low-level crimes will no longer be investigated to free up resources.
