SCOTLAND'S oldest and most celebrated police pipe band should be scrapped to boost the fight against crime, a senior officer has told The Scotsman.
Chief Superintendent John Pollock said that growing pressure on police budgets means that the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band is now a luxury that the force can no longer afford.
He said that ceasing to bankroll the band is one of several "hard deci
sions" that Strathclyde's chief constable, Steve House, should make to ensure the force is able carry out its primary role of protecting the public.
It is understood that several hundreds of thousands of pounds are being spent every year on the pipe band, both in terms of the time devoted by serving officers to practising and performing and the expense of travelling to major competitions throughout Scotland and overseas.
Strathclyde Police Pipe Band was created by an act of parliament in 1883 as the Govan Police Band. It has won 20 World Pipe Band Championships, including 11 championships in the years from 1979-91, and an unrivalled six in a row.
But the amount of resources devoted to running the band has come under the spotlight in recent months, amid tight spending settlements and a Scottish Government efficiency drive on the public sector that is requiring police forces to find annual savings of 2 per cent.
Pipers have already voiced anger at cost-cutting measures which will result in the band being able to take part in fewer events.
Senior officers announced earlier this year that the band would only be free to take part in the big five events in the pipe band calendar – the Scottish, British, and European championships, Cowal, and the World Championships – which are attended by tens of thousands of people every year.
Attendance at other events, such as community galas, will be at the discretion of the chief constable.
However, Mr Pollock, who is president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, is urging Mr House to go even further and pull all funding from the band due to growing pressure on core police services from tighter public spending and growing demands on forces.
He said: "Difficult decisions will have to be taken by chief constables.
"If we accept we are in a hard place at the moment, then I think some hard decisions will have to be taken. One example, in my own force, is the pipe band. What is the financial legitimacy of continuing to fund the pipe band?
"There is undoubtedly a fine tradition, so it's not going to be an easy decision."
Mr Pollock added: "I'm not saying I don't like the pipe band. But when harsh realities come, what would the public expect of us?
"For the sum of money spent on the band we would have a number of additional officers on the street and a number of different supervisors making sure officers are doing what they are asked to do.
"I recently asked a senior figure in the private sector, what would you do? He said, from the business side, scrap it; from the emotional side, keep it.
"We don't have that luxury."
Mr Pollock stressed that he would be fully supportive of the band if members chose to practise and perform in their own time, or if the government chose to fund it through money for culture and the arts.
"But I don't think it should fall to the police and to the public," he added.
Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said the chief constable was "justifiably proud" of the affection that exists for the pipe band.
"The pipe band will continue for the foreseeable future, however it must be remembered that it is made up of police officers and members of police staff and that they have a responsibility to provide policing services to the people who live and work in the Strathclyde Police force area," he said.
"The pipe band will continue to compete in major competitions and support community events throughout the force area to spread the public reassurance message of Strathclyde Police.
"Additional requests will be balanced against operational commitments and other planned major events."
