Critics accuse SNP of attempting to ‘railroad’ through its policing plan

The Scottish Government has been accused of attempting to “force through” controversial plans to overhaul railway policing ahead of a Holyrood vote.

MSPS will today debate the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill, which would see the British Transport Police’s operations north of the Border integrated into Police Scotland.

Last week the British Transport Police Federation called on the Scottish Government to postpone the plans amid the heightened terror threat.

It followed an online petition by the Transport Salaried 0 Labour’s Claire Baker attacked police merger plan Staffs’ Association (TSSA) in an attempt to block the move.

Speaking ahead of today’s vote, Scottish Labour’s justice spokeswoman, Claire Baker, said: “The SNP has repeatedly ignored the advice of experts on the merger of British Transport Police and is intent on railroading through an expensive plan to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.

“Experts from across the field, including trade unionists and BTP officers, have warned of the risks this merger places on passenger safety. BTP officers are trained in policing our railways, and particularly after the recent terrorist attacks, we shouldn’t risk losing that expertise.”

The Scottish Government has defended the plans, saying integration of BTP into Police Scotland will make railway policing more accountable to the people of Scotland, while maintaining safety.