The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Police officers had to search for cell in Fife
No room at police stations for holding suspected thief
Police officers were told to wait by a busy road with a suspected criminal due to a shortage of cells.
After making their arrest they were turned away from stations in Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline before a space was found for the alleged thief almost an hour later.
The incident fuelled concerns about funding of resources to allow police officers to do their jobs on the streets of Fife.
In another incident in the kingdom highlighted by the Scottish Police Federation, equipment could not be found to test a suspected drink-driver, who was just under the legal alcohol limit by the time a reading was taken an hour later.
Councillor Margaret Kennedy, Liberal Democrat community safety spokesperson on Fife Council, said: “Police Scotland need to provide some assurances to their rank and file officers that there are suitable and sufficient resources for them to discharge their duties safely, in a professional manner and where required.”
A shortage of police cells in Fife saw officers drive around for almost an hour with a suspected thief.
The officers were turned away from Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline police stations, then told to sit and wait at the side of a dual carriageway until space was eventually found in Kirkcaldy.
Concerns were stoked about funding of the force by this and another incident in Fife when equipment could not be found to breath-test a suspected drink driver. By the time the suspect was tested, an hour later, he was just under the legal alcohol limit.
The Scottish Police Federation, which highlighted the cases, accused Police Scotland of squandering millions of pounds on consultants at the expense of resources that would allow officers to do their jobs.
Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Claire Baker said: “While officers work tirelessly to tackle crime and keep us safe, the Scottish Government’s failure to fully fund Police Scotland means they do so with one hand tied behind their back.”
Liberal Democrat community safety spokesperson on Fife Council, Councillor Margaret Kennedy, said: “It is completely inappropriate for officers to be simply parked up awaiting a cell for their custody.
“Police Scotland need to provide some assurances to their rank and file officers that there are suitable and sufficient resources for them to discharge their duties safely, in a professional manner and where required.”
According to another source, a lack of custody space in Fife has a knock-on impact on the region’s courts. He said cells had been lost at Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Cupar and St Andrews and those at Levenmouth were sometimes closed.
He said: “It has not been uncommon in recent periods for people in custody to be sent to police holding units as far away as Greenock to be held and then shipped back to the courts when required. Those prison transport vans often then require to drop custody people off en route and that delays arrivals at Kirkcaldy (Sheriff Court) even more.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson added: “The nature of policing is such that in exceptional circumstances there will be some occasions where there is a shortterm pressure on a facility’s cell capacity – for example, where a large disturbance has resulted in multiple arrests. Where such circumstances occur, managers on duty provide direction and respond to such challenges, ensuring that plans are adapted to provide police officers with access to cells across a number of custody facilities.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said officer numbers remained significantly higher than those inherited in 2007, while they fell in England and Wales, and that Police Scotland’s revenue budget had been protected to deliver a £100 million boost.
It may have been established on the rather inauspicious date of April the 1st, but many people feel that when it comes to Police Scotland the joke is still on us. The single body came into being in 2013 and has barely been out of the headlines ever since.
While there is undoubtedly much good work being carried out by dedicated officers, troubling questions persist regarding the overall effectiveness of the force.
The closure of local police counters led to concerns over the loss of local accountability, while the failure to respond to reports of what turned out to be a fatal road accident was a quite justifiable national scandal.
Now it has been revealed a shortage of police cell space in Fife saw officers forced to drive around aimlessly for almost an hour in the company of a suspected thief.
Meanwhile, equipment to test a suspected drink driver was conspicuous by its absence when required.
These may well be unusual occurrences, but they do paint a rather forlorn picture.
The Scottish Government, not surprisingly, has defended its record, pointing toward significant funding.
And yet there is a feeling that the force is never far away from a fresh crisis.
Setting up a single force was never going to be easy but five years have now passed.
Increasingly, members of the public are wondering if we should really expect better.