Police merger plans on hold

POLICE Scotland has put plans to merge the divisions covering Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire with Inverclyde and Renfrewshire on hold for at least a year.

The proposal attracted widespread opposition last year from communities in rural areas fearful that policing issues in smaller areas would be overlooked for urban priorities.

The consultation centred around restructuring local policing in the K and L divisions, K covering Inverclyde and Renfrewshire, and L, which is Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.