New police chief must lead a force for change

Since Police Scotland came into being it has been mired in controversy.

Internal investigations, call centre mistakes that ended in tragedy, and a chief constable’s position that no one seems to be able to keep.

In the meantime, rank and file officers have carried on policing the streets while, somehow, keeping crime levels at a record low.

Now the force faces its most critical time as it searches for a new leader to take on a job that has become about as attractive as that of Scotland football manager.

The first challenge will be to find someone, of the right calibre, who wants to risk taking such a controversial role.

The second will be to repair the image of an organisation that has suffered huge damage, externally and internally.

The experts we quote today on pages 18 and 19 talk sense. Yes, there is an acceptance that a single force was an inevitability given the argument for efficiencies in public spending.

However, the politicians and senior officers simply didn’t do enough to ensure local accountability when Police Scotland came into being.

Major crimes can – and should – be tackled in a uniform way across the country.

However, local differences, concerns and voices should also be recognised. At the moment it doesn’t feel like they are.

What might be right for an urban community in the likes of Glasgow, might not be right for a community in rural Aberdeenshire.

We all want the police to succeed, and grab the headlines for the right reasons.

The Scottish Police Authority must get the next appointment right.

It, and the country, cannot afford another debacle.