Scots reject one big police force proposal

Published on Tuesday 21 June 2011 17:41

The creation of a single national police force in Scotland has failed to win support in a Scottish Government consultation.

Less than 10 per cent of respondents backed the move aimed at streamlining the current structure of eight forces in an effort to save money and overhaul the way policing is delivered.

The Scottish Police Federation has already voted against the national force at its annual conference earlier this year.

In its response to the consultation it said: "We are acutely aware of the requirement to save money and the government should be honest enough with the public to state this 'reform' project is first and foremost about saving money whilst trying to protect service delivery as far as possible."

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary also opposed the creation of a single force in a submission. It wrote: "The lack of appetite for restructuring the service is not simply a case of defending the status quo, it is a case of properly understanding the business of policing in Scotland today."

Grampian Police are also opposed and warned it could lead to more than 4,000 police staff and officers losing their jobs.

Of the 225 responses to the report published, only 22 backed the creation of a Scottish national force. Most support was expressed for retaining the eight forces, with 26 per cent backing this, while 20 per cent backed a reduction in the current number.

The single-force option was backed by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents. Strathclyde Chief Constable Stephen House also backed a national force, insisting it would end the disparity across Scotland. He said: "If a major incident happened, we would not need a series of hurried phone calls between forces regarding resources."

The Scottish Government will consider the responses and bring forward its proposals this year. A similar consultation into the future of the fire and rescue service found that just over half of respondents said the current eight-force structure needs to be reduced, with most backing a regional structure instead of a national one. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "The priority is delivering the community services that are making Scotland safer - including the 1,000 additional police officers who have helped reduce recorded crime to a 32-year low.

"But maintaining our excellent services in the face of Westminster budget cuts will not be possible without changing the way we do things, and the consultation responses shows broad agreement on the need for reform."

'THE CASE FOR CHANGE HAS NOT BEEN MADE'

COUNCIL leaders have criticised the way the Scottish Government has handled police and fire consultations, saying it has been "selective" when commenting on responses.

Pat Watters, president of Cosla, an umbrella organisation for local authorities, said: "I think the government have been a bit selective in what they have chosen to release via their media statement.

"There were 219 responses to the police consultation and yet the Government choose to highlight the three in favour of the single service."

Councillor Barbara Grant added: "The case for change has not been made. Indeed it would be fair to say that there is not enough information in favour of any particular option."