We’re failing the public, say police officers
THe single force is failing the public, police officers admitted yesterday, as they furiously condemned costcutting reforms.
In a sign of rapidly deteriorating relations between rank-andfile, top brass and ministers, they warned the ‘thin blue line’ is stretched to ‘breaking point’.
Andrea MacDonald, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), also criticised a ‘soft’ approach focusing on human rights and community ‘well-being’.
As Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley and Justice Secretary Michael Matheson listened at the SPF’s conference, she also attacked a culture of spending huge sums on consultants rather than on the front line.
Mrs MacDonald said: ‘We have a cast of thousands making resourcing and deployment decisions based on little or no operational knowledge.’
The SPF chairman, a Police Scotland inspector, added: ‘Is it any wonder we are getting so much wrong and creating so much frustration and anger among our frontline officers?’
In a further humiliation for Mr Gormley and Mr Matheson, the SPF chairman also savaged cost-cutting that will see the number of officers cut by 400.
Delegates rounded on the chief and the minister for cuts that have left frontline personnel struggling to do their jobs without vital equipment.
Scottish Tory justice spokes- man Douglas Ross said: ‘This is evidence of the growing rift between those within the police and the SNP Government.
‘Punishing cost cuts have resulted in a significant drop in morale within the ranks, and it’s no wonder there is real frusblue
‘Significant drop in morale’
tration in relation to the SNP’s view for the future of the force.’
Scottish labour justice spokesman Claire Baker said: ‘The SNP Government must take greater responsibility for ensuring dedicated officers and staff have the support and resources they need.’
Mrs MacDonald said costcutting was ‘stretching the thin line to breaking-point’ and there was a ‘risk the well-being of our members will not stand much more messing around’.
She told delegates that while there were often ‘understandable, if not acceptable, reasons for police failures, they did nothing for public confidence’.
She added: ‘We have example upon example of society’s problems – violence, illegal drugs, anti-social behaviour – that will not be solved by hiring consultants or developing strategies.’
Mrs MacDonald said the ‘new emphasis is on human rights and broad community safety’.
But she added: ‘One could be forgiven for thinking that someone is trying to factor crime out of the picture.’
The Policing 2026 review unveiled last month is aimed at ‘building capacity’ by taking officers from ‘back office’ administrative roles to put them back on the front line.
Consultancy firm Deloitte was paid nearly £700,000 of taxpayers’ money to help draw up the proposals.
At the conference in Turnberry, Ayrshire, delegate Andy Malcolm asked Mr Matheson: ‘When will you listen to us when we tell you that we are illequipped and at risk?’
The minister said ‘officers need to have the resources and equipment’ but said police and NHS budgets were the only two areas ring-fenced from cuts.
Defending the Policing 2026 strategy, Mr Gormley said: ‘You cannot manage your way forward, and make the right sort of choices to equip us all with what we need to do the job, without a plan.’