Credibility gone, it’s time to leave

THE merging of Scotland’s eight police forces was always going to be a complicated process.

But the birth of Police Scotland has been a bigger disaster than even the fiercest critic could have predicted.

Even the body set up to scrutinise the new single force is a shambles.

The first chairman of the Scottish Police Authority, Vic Emery, clashed with then chief constable Stephen House.

The row undermined the credibility of the watchdog from the start.

Andrew Flanagan’s appointment in 2015 could have been a new dawn that got the organisation back on track.

Remarkably, his tenure has actually seen the SPA’s authority eroded further.

The evidence of former board member Moi Ali to MSPs on Thursday lifted the lid on the rot at the organisation.

The long-standing and respected public servant stunned members of the Public Audit Committee by branding Flanagan a sexist bully who is unfit for his post.

Now the MSPs have echoed her analysis by telling Justice Secretary Michael Matheson that they believe Flanagan behaved inappropriately.

Committee member Alex Neil has been even more vocal about the failures.

The former Scottish Government minister memorably compared Flanagan’s management style with Soviet Russia.

But despite this damning indictment, Flanagan is still clinging on to the post. He is simply delaying the inevitable. If the public ever had any trust in the SPA, it is now gone. The criticism from MSPs is a reflection of that.

Flanagan’s position is untenable. He should do the honourable thing and resign.