Single police force ‘at risk of political bias’
THE former head of the Scottish justice department has issued a stark warning that the SNP’s plans for a national police force will hand ministers “much more control over policing”.
Jim Gallagher’s strongly worded criticism of the scrapping of Scotland’s eight regional police forces came as MSPs were warned of the “sketchy” details about local council access to the new national force.
Justice secretary Kenny Mac-Askill yesterday said the new interim police HQ would be at the Scottish Police College in Tulli-allan, Fife, while the new base for the single fire and rescue service would be at Perth Community Fire Station, when the shake-up comes into force on 1 April next year.
However, Mr Gallagher, writing in The Scotsman today, calls for chief constables to be given the same status as Scotland’s chief law officer – the Lord Advocate – and to give the position parliamentary protection to “avoid the risk” that police powers can be “directed for political purposes”.
Mr Gallagher goes on to warn about the dangers of ministers using powers to direct the new national police authority to dismiss and retire senior officers, as well as imposing decisions about the style of policing in different areas of Scotland. He writes: “Chief constables must be independent, because there are no powers to direct them. The Lord Advocate offers an excellent precedent: he accounts to the Scottish Parliament, but his independence is explicitly safeguarded in statute.
“The power to appoint and dismiss is critical. The police authority is to appoint the chief constable, but only with ministers’ agreement. There are also new powers for the authority to retire senior officers.”
Mr Gallagher also calls for the new national police authority to be made up of elected councillors to safeguard some local control over policing under the new national structure.
The demand came as councillor Barbara Grant, community safety spokeswoman at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, told Holyrood’s local government committee yesterday that there was a “big hole” in the plans.
She said: “There’s a huge gap in the information that we have at the moment in the bill about how these things are going to work. It’s not at all helpful, from what we’ve seen already, on how we’re going to engage.
“We’re OK with the lowest level and maybe the person at the very top. But it’s that huge gap in the middle that we really don’t have enough information about. It’s all far too sketchy.”
However, Mr MacAskill insisted the creation of national police and fire services would be more “convenient” and “cost-effective”, as he dismissed suggestions that services would be disrupted by the shake-up.
He said: “The transition to the new services should be as smooth as possible and using existing venues as interim headquarters will keep costs and disruption to a minimum.”
Meanwhile, a Scottish Government spokeswoman rejected Mr Gallagher’s claims and said the bill “makes it clear that the chief constable is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, not ministers”.
She said: “It also provides strong safeguards to ensure ministers cannot control or direct the authority or the chief constable to do anything relating to specific police operations.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- Family mourn death of Glasgow ‘fight’ schoolboy
- Rangers takeover: Duff & Phelps threaten legal action against BBC
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Rangers administration: Fans fear Duff & Phelps claims could scare off Green
- Rangers takeover: triple penalty punishment enough, says Johnston
- Alistair Darling leads ‘No to independence’ fight over tea and biscuits
- Scottish independence: SNP flip-flops over Nato
- Scottish Independence: SNP ‘won’t be Yes campaign’s only voice’
- Scottish independence: Alex Salmond’s pledge to sign up 1m voters
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Edinburgh
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
The Tin Man
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:59 PMOh well, that is the most important piece of legislation from the SNP. Blink, and you will miss it. England and Wales have already been down this road, and ended up with an arrangement whereby local police forces can amalgamate, if they want to. Sadly, I very much doubt that anything that sensible and unautocratic will happen in Scotland.
The Tin Man
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:56 PM14 samcoldstream: What a great role model....
samcoldstream
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:00 PMThe critical author is describing exactly how the Metropolitan Police is controlled by the London Mayor Boris Johnson, and the 12 London Assembly Members, who sit on the Metropolitan Police Authority?
ASCOTT
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 02:31 PMPending Moderation
flyinngscott
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:32 AMAs with anyone appointed by a political body, they are beholden to it. ala he who pays the piper..... The appointing body are automatically drawn towards choosing the candidate who reflects their politics. eg A tory administration, given the choice between 2 equally competent officers, one having strong conservative views, the other a pinko liberal open to change, are going to choose the former. =================================================== There is nothing more important for a healthy democracy, than the seperation of the institutions, by how they are formed. Having a single, nationwide police force, say with regional commanders makes sense, financially, logistically and for consistency in implementation of the nations laws. Government should have nothing to do with appointment, either directly, or through an appointment board of their choosing. Would election by their peers work ? They already have ACPOS. =================================================== To see how democracy is weakened by political interference, looking across the atlantic at the way the president appoints the members of the supreme court should illuminate. =================================================== nb. From a cybernat snp drone
The Tin Man
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:26 AMA state police force is designed for centralised political control, and it is going to happen whilst we are part of the UK. Not a single government MSP will vote against it, or even disagree with the details of the politbureau's plans. It has nothing to do with independence, and has everything to do with centralised political control. There is not a thing that anyone can do to stop the abolition of local policing, next year. Good grief.
The Tin Man
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 09:27 AMGood grief.
famous15
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 08:55 AMHaving intimate knowledge of the existing system I have greater faith in the progressive proposals than I ever had in the old system. Not just the miners strike but the number of retired officers slipping into the ? Party political hierarchy at senior levels hints at problems. The new system will require improvement as we go along but it does not have the systemic problems of the existing system.
Family guy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 08:35 AMThe polis, regardless of structural set up, were politicised long before the SNP even had a sniff of power. Don't be taken in by this lying b*st*rds words. People like him rub shoulders with their political equals - and those equals wore red rossettes.
Kon
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:02 AMSingle police force ‘at risk of political bias’ - of course it is, thats the point, snp social nationalist control.
Proud Doonhamer
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 02:56 AMAnother day, another poodle... my oh my.
Willie Boy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 02:22 AMOr what about the police during the miners strike?
Willie Boy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 02:21 AMOr what about the willike McCrae murder where the police would not investigate how a man could shoot himself in the head and then throw the gun some 40 metres away. security services killing with the police told to back off.
Willie Boy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 02:18 AMAs the Tommy Sheridan investigation showed the Police are politically biased. Dawn raids, millions in investigation costs, the police are an adjunct to political and commercial influence
Marga
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 01:54 AMCorrection, it's still there. But this new one still has that well-known spin!
Page 1 of 2
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.