Scottish police officers have been left fuming over what they described as a “waste of time” after being dragged into Holyrood to search for Michael Matheson’s mug.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, has criticised the decision to deploy officers to the Scottish Parliament.
He said: “It is astonishing that anyone would contemplate sending officers to search for a missing mug.
“When policing is under immense pressure after years of underfunding and rising demand, this sort of request highlights an entitlement and a disconnect from reality that is hard to comprehend.
“Officers should be focused on keeping our communities safe — not chasing down missing crockery.”
The cup disappeared from the former SNP minister’s parliamentary office last month.
Mr Matheson left the SNP Cabinet two years ago after initially claiming expenses for an £11,000 data roaming bill incurred while using his work iPad on holiday in Morocco.
He later blamed his sons for streaming football matches, resulting in the hefty charge.
Police were sent in to hunt for Mr Matheson’s mug
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An SNP spokesman told The Sun that Mr Matheson did not report “any personal items as missing and no report was made on his behalf to Parliament or police”.
Despite this, the mug is said to have vanished from his Holyrood office last month.
An initial report was made to parliamentary security staff before police were urged to become involved.
Inquiries were carried out, but police concluded that “no criminality” had taken place. They also confirmed the mug was not Mr Matheson’s personal property.
Mr Matheson was caught up in an expenses scandal two years ago
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An insider said: “It appears Mr Matheson or his office were so alarmed by the missing mug that they contacted parliamentary security.
“That in itself would appear to be an overreaction.
“But then someone took the decision to involve the police.
“It is fair to say the officers called in were more than a little miffed.”