Readers Letters: Is Police Scotland failing people over files?

It seems that Police Scotland have decided not to investigate claims that files have gone missing in relation to the ongoing ferries scandal, in the same way that they decided that there was no case to answer with the “Nicola Sturgeon in a barbers” incident.

Is the government of Nicola Sturgeon coming under enough scrutiny, wonders reader (Picture: Michal Wachucik/Getty Images)

In the real world, however, the police need to speak to people and examine the evidence. There are procedures to go through, and all this takes time. It can’t be done in a day. And yet, in these cases, the decision of innocence has been made in a day or less.

You can imply from this that there has been no proper investigation of the evidence. So, the police have not carried out the function that those reporting the incidents have expected of them. I realise that a police investigation would be inconvenient in the middle of an election campaign, and these stories have to be buried quickly, but how can these things be continually swept under the carpet when there are already so many other things under there?

Victor Clements, Aberfeldy, Perthshire

Hope floats

In her letter yesterday Jane Lax highlights that despite reports to the contrary, efficient shipbuilding on the Clyde is alive and kicking with orders for Type 26 frigates. I would also point out that Babcock Rosyth now has a brand new shipbuilding facility to construct type 31 frigates. Indeed, there was a nice photo in yesterday’s Scotsman of the young lad who won the keel laying coin design accompanied by his proud mum.I think I am safe in saying that every major RN warship that floats, including the two largest ever, have been built in Scotland. No matter who or where they are named after, this will always be their home

Andrew Kemp, Rosyth, Fife

Simply useless

As pressure mounts on the Scottish Government over the ferries fiasco, it now transpires that the Census for 2022 in Scotland is turning into a complete waste of time and, yet again on the watch of the SNP Government, another waste of taxpayers’ money to the tune of £138 million. The decision to delay the census by a year has also cost taxpayers an additional £20m, so why should the SNP worry?

In the rest of the UK, a response of 97 per cent has been achieved, while in Glasgow alone more than 30 per cent of censuses are still to be completed, rendering the exercise more or less useless. Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at the University of Edinburgh states “the Scottish census is turning out to be potentially the most serious setback for evidence-based policy in Scotland”. And Jamie Jenkins, a former head at the ONS, says “a census with such a significant proportion [of respondents] missing is useless”.

It is bad enough that this sham of a government cannot build hospitals or ferries on time and on budget, but to be unable to run a questionnaire really is jaw-dropping. But let us not worry, for no doubt “lessons will be learned” and so we should move on – nothing to see here.

This group of dodgy types are demeaning the role of public servant to an all-time low. Their blatant disregard for transparency and the truth, were they to be displayed in another country, would be denounced as nothing less than corrupt. This is nationalism at its worst, 15 years of domination and no scrutiny have led here. The centralisation of all things, the domination of the Civil Service, Police Scotland and the highest offices in Scots law have seen to that. Thank heavens the Auditor General for Scotland, Stephen Boyle, is the exception to the rule, refusing to be elbowed out of way.

It is now obvious that the opposition parties need to bury the hatchet and work together to ensure, wherever possible, no power share should be agreed with any SNP group. However, the chance of gaining power will no doubt prove to be too much of an aphrodisiac to those elected to be able to act in an honourable manner, no matter what party they represent.

David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders

Move to delay

Leaving aside concerns about the questions on identity, gender and language, the fact that the census in Scotland is being held this year rather than in 2021 seems to be another example of being different to the rest of the UK, just for the sake of it. Censuses have been held every ten years since 1841 (apart from 1941), and this was the case for the rest of the UK until the Scottish Government decided to delay it for a year, ostensibly because of Covid, although this affected the whole of the UK.

One wonders if the motivation was that for the first time in 180 years, it would not be possible to directly compare the population Scotland with the rest of the UK. This can only be of interest to those intent on dividing, rather than bringing together, the people of these islands.

David Hannay, Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway

Dumb idea

It would be interesting to find out what risk assessments were carried out when National Records of Scotland, the Census organisers, decided to postpone it by one year, make it online first and decided to skimp on enumerators. While there is no doubt that a year's delay will impact on the strength of population estimates, a shortage of hard data of the scale foreshadowed by reports would seriously impact on the planning and delivery of public services for the next decade and create myriad injustices as a result. Neither fair, nor smart.

Harald Tobermann, Edinburgh

For the record

None of the women who were allegedly sexually assaulted by broadcaster Tim Westwood complained at the time because, they say, they thought no one would believe them. The point is to make a complaint and have some record of your complaint, whether you think it will be believed or not – then you can prove that you complained at the time. Get it on record that you complained at the time – it's then much more convincing than if you complain some time later.

Steve Hayes, Leven, Fife

Bare teeth

Having watched his interview with Piers Morgan, it is not often (if ever) I agree with Donald Trump, but it is surely time to stop running scared of Vladimir Putin. The time has come for Nato to stop pussyfooting about and tell Putin that a single action against any Nato country will be taken as a declaration of war and result in an immediate obliteration of all Russian forces in Ukraine and a simultaneous pre-emptive strike on Russian airbases, missile sites and ships, including submarines.

The final warning, not for discussion, should be accompanied by information that all weapons have been programmed for immediate launch. Bullies only understand one language and Putin needs to be told firmly that he is greatly out-resourced in terms of fire-power. This ultimatum should be accompanied by a firm reassurance that Nato has no inclinations to seek to advance its boundaries, now or in the future, and this is purely a defensive move in response to his threats.

James Watson, Dunbar, East Lothian

Too many people

Dr Phoebe Cochrane (Perspective, 26 April) makes a fundamental omission from her contribution about the trashing of the Earth’s resources – the exponential growth in human population that has seen numbers treble in 70 years. This fact is the driving force for the unrelenting demands for land, water, foods and minerals. The fastest growth at present is in Africa. The total population worldwide is now approaching 8 billion. Much hinges upon the place of women in economy and society. First there are education issues – there are at least two illiterate women for every illiterate man on the planet. Most women do not have the knowledge or means to control their fertility – yet biologists say that it is the number of females of reproductive age that is crucial in plotting a course for population in any species.

Then there are the male-dominated religions that make it difficult, if not impossible, for women to progress in their own right in some societies.

The climate change persuaders seldom mention human population growth and the demands on resources of all kinds that contribute to climatic uncertainties. The Green lobbyists hesitate to address the population problem as it seems an uncomfortable fact for them.

I A Glen, Airdrie, Lanarkshire

Private lives

Boris Johnson’s threat to sell off the Passport Office and DVLA, due to backlogs created by Covid and years of budget cuts, is a classic move by ideological right-wing governments. US Republicans have used the same tactic of first starving government departments of funding. Then when those departments can’t deliver the services to which they were tasked because of this lack of resources, the political party in power shouts that government doesn’t work and the only solution is privatisation.

Clever, eh? Except that experience shows that transferring public assets into for-profit private hands that care only about increasing those profits and rewarding shareholders results in more expensive and less efficient services. We have an energy crisis because private companies are profiteering at the public’s considerable expense. England’s waterways are filthy because private companies allow sewage dumping and won’t invest the resources to clean them up. Since privatisation, train and bus routes have been cut, especially to poor and rural areas, and fares have increased.

And now we are seeing the same neoliberal tactic used against the NHS. Huge backlogs due to Covid, underinvestment and Brexit staff shortages are creating the perception that the NHS isn’t working. Johnson’s solution? The private sector, which also happens to be the Conservative donor base and trough at which government ministers feed, is standing by ready to pounce.

The lights are blinking red. Scotland must get out.

Leah Gunn Barrett, Edinburgh

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