Police Scotland Review

There's growing support for a root and branch review of Police Scotland in the wake of Sir Stephen House's resignation.

Conservative MSPs say the centralisation of services has damaged the effectiveness of the force. The party has also hit out again at the loss of public counters and the stop and search policy, as well as the routine arming of police on the streets.

The single force has been heavily criticised for its handling of a crash on the M9 which led to a couple lying at the side of the road for three days before being discovered.

Before a new Chief Constable is appointed, the Scottish Conservatives are calling for a thorough review of the arrangements and how local accountability can be restored.
 
Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said: "Under the circumstances Sir Stephen's decision to resign is the right one.

"But let's be clear that bringing someone in to replace him is unlikely to fix all of Police Scotland's systemic problems.

"To date it has lurched from one crisis to another and this simply isn't sustainable in the long-term.

"Now more than ever we need to take stock and assess the merits of the single national force across the board. 

"This is the time for a fundamental rethink of the entire centralised system to make sure that we get Scotland's policing back on track for good."

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour’s Justice Spokesperson, Graeme Pearson, today called for full disclosure from the SNP Government of problems in Police Scotland as a whistle-blower claims the force is “on its knees”.

Graeme Pearson has also renewed calls for Police Scotland to publish its staff survey, which concluded in June.

Commenting, Graeme Pearson MSP said: “With the departure of Sir Stephen House, the Scottish Government needs to get a grip of Police Scotland. The first step in doing that is full transparency, so that the force can begin to regain some of the public trust it has lost in recent months.

“It was only a matter of weeks ago that the First Minister and the Justice Minister said they had full confidence in Sir Stephen and Police Scotland. They have an opportunity now to get a grip. That has to start with the publication of the staff survey and any other reviews the service has commissioned.

“Officers and staff are now coming forward with alarming frequency to say that the service is not operating as it should be. For the sake of the Scottish public and the officers who are working round the clock to keep people safe, the SNP Government needs to start taking responsibility for Police Scotland.”