POLICE Scotland is bracing itself for "bad news" as it begins its first ever survey of all its officers and civilian staff.

Senior officers admit that the new national force has seen dramatic change over its first two years, and that this has not always been easy on workers.

But Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson stressed he and other managers were eager to get insight in to any problems from the anonymous poll of its entire workforce.

He wants to hear from its 23,000 employees, whatever they have to say.

Mr Richardson said: "This is an opportunity for staff and officers to vent their concerns.

"I expect there will be some bad news. But I am hoping we will also hear about some of the successes we have had in the two years too."

The deputy chief constable added: "My message is for as many people as possible to complete the survey. Usually you get about 30-40 per cent participation. I am hoping for much more than that."

Mr Richardson said all of Police Scotland's 17,295 officers and more than another 5500 civilian workers, would get 20 minutes in front of a computer in work time to fill out the survey.

The survey, which is not compulsory, combines multi-choice questions with space for officers and staff to give more "narrative" on their concerns or interests.

Designed by an independent company, Axiom, with input from the force and unions, it is thought to be the first nationwide survey carried out in Scotland's public sector.

Workers will be asked to rate their own well-being, the qualities of their line manager, their opportunities for training and advancement and their views on organisational change.

Mr Richardson said he was still to fill his form in, but stressed he would do so. Asked what he would say about his line manager, chief constable Sir Stephen House, he joked: "It is an anonymous survey; I could tell you, but I would have to kill you."

Staff have until June 15 to do the survey, which went live this week. The survey is not expected to be a one-off, but should form the basis for benchmarking staff attitudes in years to come.

Force insiders have acknowledged that dramatic and rapid change has generated unhappiness about some, especially on the civilian side, who have faced the brunt of efficiency cuts.

Earlier this month figures showed a rise in grievances against the service, notably among civilians affected most by change.

Its head of human resources John Gillies, himself a civilian, linked what he acknowledged was a "spike" in figures to "organisational change processes".

In an official report to the force's watchdog, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which is the official employer of police staff, Mr Gillies said the proportion of grievances was higher from civilians than officers.

Mr Gillies said: "It is impossible to firmly state why staff grievance is higher - however it is worth noting that the majority of all grievances in these categories have been raised by staff in areas

where organisational change has progressed."

Gerry Crawley, unison organiser for Police Scotland, called on all workers to complete the survey and "give honest answers".

The SPA, meanwhile, had lobbied for the survey to take place. A spokeswoman said: "This survey is a big part of how we engage our people in the shared future of this key public service.

"How we then respond to, and act upon, the views and outcomes of that survey will be an even bigger part."

Analysis of the survey results will be published after the summer.