MacAskill picks police’s third choice for location of HQ

THE new headquarters of Scotland’s national force will be at Tulliallan Castle after justice secretary Kenny MacAskill ruled out police officers’ preferred venues in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) rated potential bases on proximity to partners, accessibility, suitability, size, flexibility, condition, staff relocation travel, safety and security.

They suggested Pitt Street, in Glasgow, was Scotland’s best option, followed by Fettes, in Edinburgh, with Tulliallan, in Kincardine, coming third.

However, MacAskill, who faced repeated criticisms of centralisation when announcing the move to a single force, has made it clear the new headquarters should not be in either of Scotland’s two biggest cities.

The justice secretary has insisted he would not interfere in operational matters, but Acpos admitted “political desire” was “a reason for the decision, but not the reason”.

A police source said: “Acpos carried out a scoring based on what they would need and what is available at each site, and it seems that Pitt Street and Fettes came out on top on that scoring.

“It seems the key issue is the politics of it all, with ministers indicating they did not want a headquarters in Edinburgh or Glasgow.”

The decision has angered Edinburgh councillor Iain Whyte, who is convener of the Lothian and Borders police board: “I would have hoped the new headquarters would have been in Edinburgh. It is, after all, the capital. It would be close to the Scottish Parliament, close to the Scottish Government. While I understand the need for police jobs to be spread around Scotland, through disperse arrangements currently being discussed, we should not be ruling anything out because of politics.”

The command team based at the national headquarters is expected to be small, with departments such as IT, HR and payroll placed in different parts of the country, with the aim of spreading jobs evenly.

If Tulliallan is accepted as the new headquarters at next week’s Scottish Policing Board meeting, it will only be an interim decision, as the new chief constable may decide on an alternative base while in post.

Acpos insisted its arm was not twisted by MacAskill, and that Pitt Street or Fettes would have been chosen, regardless of his wishes, if they had been the best option.