DANIEL DONNELLY

The Scottish police service has been travelling down the rocky road towards a national force since its inception 200 years ago. The number of forces has been reduced from the hundreds in the nineteenth century, to the dozens in the mid-twentieth cen-tury, to the present eight forces. Is the next stop one force?

Paddy Tomkins, the Scottish Chief Inspector of Constabulary, in his annual report, calls for the introduction of a national framework to handle counter-terrorism, specialist firearms support, motorway policing and air support. Tomkins also believes consideration should be given to centralising police recruitment, legal and financial services. This plea comes at a time when chief officers are hoping police pensions will be centralised as a result of growing fiscal demands on local force budgets.

Another issue with its own financial pressure on the police is the increasing costs of royalty and VIP visits across Scotland. In addition, we also have our share of major national and international incidents and criminal inquiries which cost individual police forces millions of pounds.

The recent Glasgow terrorist attack is one example. Again, these aspects of modern policing can best be addressed by centralising budgets, which again brings the thorny topic of a national police service for Scotland to the fore.

Devolution did not change the constitutional position of the Scottish police as they are still governed by the tripartite system of central and local government and chief constables. Policing is probably the most political of all public-sector services and local politicians appoint chief police officers. It is therefore important that relationships are amicable and work well for the benefit of communities. However, it is difficult for chief officers to voice views contrary to their police authorities or boards.

This position is understandable, but does not help when big issues emerge that require widespread debate and discussion. It has been 45 years since Scotland has had a comprehensive review of policing and it astonishes that in light of the challenges facing the police today and in the future chief officers and police authorities have never given support for a similar review of policing in the 21st century. While in the background, frantically being driven by the centre, is a stream of national strategies for anti-social behaviour, violence, alcohol abuse, sex offenders, community planning, best value, crime intelligence, criminal records, performance measurement, police complaints commissioner, community justice authorities, centrally funded CCTV systems, organised crime and drugs, centralised training, forensics, fingerprinting and much more.

So a formal national framework would offer potential for greater benefits for all citizens in Scotland.

For some there is a feeling of trepidation that a national service would have a negative impact on local policing. However, we are regularly informed that those who tailor policing to meet local needs are the local MSPs, councillors, community councils, tenant and resident associations, community groups, pressure groups, public services, local businesses, communities, divisional commanders, sub-divisional officers or equivalent, police supervisors and a wide assortment of community police posts, auxiliaries and wardens.

This structure would remain and be enhanced by the freed-up resources resulting from the disappearance of duplication of services as a result of a national framework, and in all probability will have a more active, accountable and statutory role to interact with each other, the local authority, private and voluntary sectors.

In a national structure, police authorities themselves would have greater devolved responsibility for policing and more powers to hold the police to account for their performance. A modern system of local and central police governance and accountability would be introduced. What would disappear is the tier of eight force headquarters and the replication of much decision-making and staffing costs. Divisional headquarters would get their rightful position as the main engine room of local policing, and at its heart would be local politicians and communities.

The key change would be the introduction of a Scottish Police Commissioner (or equivalent) who would pursue national and international innovative and creative police policies without being caught up in the bureaucratic decision-making with eight chief executives (10 if you include the heads of Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and Scottish Police Services Authority) and their associated local interests. There would be a forum of elected members at the national level guaranteeing police accountability.

Such a development would secure full resources for the SCDEA in its fight against drugs and organised crime, recently held back by some of the Scottish forces. The past absence of full compatibility in police IT systems is also due to the constant search for agreement of the eight forces and their local interests.

There are many more examples of obstruction, hindrance and deep-set cultural barriers that the new SPSA is hoping to ameliorate in the future. It will not be easy, but many visionary police officers support the present and proposed changes. To ensure Scottish citizens receive the same level of police service regardless of where they live would best be achieved by driving forward police policies within a formal national framework.

Ignore the scaremongering, local democracy and policing would be strengthened and many parts of Scotland would also get a much-improved form of policing. The future of Scottish policing is too important to be about one police force, and Paddy Tomkins and David Mulhern of the SPSA are right to take the wider Scottish view as everyone else has their own self interests.

Scottish police should be proud of their achievements but to become a world-class leader in policing they need to shed the present outdated structure of police governance as it is hampering advancement. We now have European policing coming on-stream, with additional international responsibilities for the Scottish police on the horizon. We even have our own Scottish Assistant Chief Constable with the remit as co-ordinator of anti-terrorism.

The very least that should happen is a long overdue in-depth review of policing in Scotland, which has already been called for by the Scottish Police Federation and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents. The future of Scottish policing is the crucial issue and the Scottish Government needs to take up the challenge. A full debate on all the issues is required sooner rather than later.


  • Dr Daniel Donnelly is a former police officer and academic in police studies.