dr kath Murray

On the announcement of Sir Stephen House’s early retirement, the chairman of the Scottish Police Federation wrote that history will most likely prove kinder to the chief constable of Police Scotland. This may well be so. It seems that House had the steel to oversee an unprecedented degree of change in policing and carry the political can for others.

History will, I think, put personalities to one side and throw a more critical light on the larger lines of accountability and responsibility that were lost at times amid the volatile politics and mud-slinging.

Critics have squarely apportioned blame for several high-profile controversies to the chief constable, including excessive rates of stop and search and the use of armed officers on routine duties.

Yet the story is neither as straightforward nor as recent as it seems. Both policies pre-dated the single service and extended beyond Strathclyde, Sir Stephen’s former turf.

Similarly, support for intensive stop and search was in the 2011 SNP manifesto.

It seems fair to suggest that, in some policy areas, the single service merger transformed the appearance rather than the substance of Scottish policing.

More recently the SNP’s flagship commitment to retaining more officers than in 2007 has stymied the chief constable.

Amid wider cuts to the policing budget, maintaining police officer strength has limited the ability of senior staff to allocate resources appropriately and led to cuts to back office support.

Looking ahead, I’d suggest the debate on Police Scotland needs to focus on evidence and policies, rather than personalities and politics.

We need sharper oversight and scrutiny, greater transparency, stronger local accountability, and to ensure the proper checks are in place to balance the power invested in the chief constable.

Dr Kath Murray is a researcher at Edinburgh University who has carried out research into stop and search practices.