TOP COP: POLICING MUST ADAPT TO FUTURE
NEW CHIEF CONSTABLE TELLS RECRUITS..
SCOTLAND’S new chief constable yesterday admitted that mistakes were made when the force amalgamated in 2013.
In his first official day in charge, Iain Livingstone told new recruits at the police college in Tulliallan, Fife, that things were rushed when the eight regional forces were merged into one.
Livingstone said: “We didn’t get everything right at the outset of Police Scotland.
“The need to maintain an operational grip on policing meant that sometimes we moved too quickly, we didn’t engage with our communities sufficiently.
“It’s my job now to lead and drive that change and to build on the values, ethos and traditions of policing in Scotland that first attracted me to the job 26 years ago.”
Police Scotland’s first chief constable, Sir Stephen House, was severely criticised for introducing policies with little or no public consultation.
Livingstone, 51, told his audience in a message that was circulated to his 22,000 strong staff: “We have to adapt. The world is changing rapidly and policing has to change with it so that we can continue to provide the high level of service that our communities need and expect.”
He added: “Policing has been my life and it is an honour and a privilege to be your chief constable and to lead the dedicated men and women of Police Scotland.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf tweeted: “I look forward to continuing to work closely with him.”
Livingstone planned to retire last autumn but stayed on after bullying allegations engulfed Phil Gormley, who resigned as chief constable.