Police merger set to be probed
Scotland’s police merger is to be probed by MSPs after five years of scandals.
Hol y rood ’ s jus t ice committee will examine the impact of combining police and fire services into single organisations.
The aim of creating Police Scotland was to protect frontline services and end duplication involving the eight regional forces.
But pol iticians have described the merger as “botched” and say the single force is in “turmoil”.
Scandals have included the M9 crash tragedy, where officers took three days to respond to a 999 call, the use of armed cops for routine duties and the death of Kirkcaldy man Sheku Bayoh after he was restrained by officers.
There was a lso the fai led merger between Pol ice Scot l and and transport policing north of the Border.
Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “Police and fire officers have been badly let down by the botched centralisation.”
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: “With the force looking for their third chief, there is considerable turmoil in the organisation.
“Public confidence in the force is at rock bottom, while police off icers and staff aren’t getting the support they need from the SNP Government.”
The Scottish Government said: “The single services have provided national special ist capabi l ities that would not have been possible in the past , allowing us to respond more effectively to the evolving challenges of keeping people safe in a modern Scotland.”