Counter-terror work ‘not at risk’

The integration of transport policing into the national force will not put at risk counter-terrorism in Scotland, the justice secretary has said.

Michael Matheson told MSPs he is confident that following the change there will be “no doubt” about the capacity of Police Scotland to deal with terrorist incidents on the railway network. He was pressed on the issue by Holyrood’s justice committee in the wake of last week’s terror attack at Westminster, in which four people were killed.

The Scottish Government’s Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill would result in the British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland being subsumed into Police Scotland. MSPshaveheard concerns about the potential loss of the seamless coverage currently provided across the UK’s railways.

Committee convener Margaret Mitchell questionedwhether “taking this risk can be justified” at a timeofheightenedsecurity, while Labour MSP Mary Fee called for assurances that there would be no break in the flow of information across the border with the removal of a single command structure across theBTP. MrMatheson said: “I’m confident that with the integration of railway policing into Police Scotland there will be no doubt about the capacity of Police Scotland to deal with terrorist incidents if they occurred within our railway network.”

The minister said the creation of a single commandstructure in Scotland would “reinforce” the ability to share information.