Police blunders are ‘testing public faith’
Warning as missed body case brings inquiries to 21
SCOTLAND’S error-ridden single police force risks losing the faith of the public, a Tory politician claimed last night.
The warning came as it emerged that the body of a man missing from his home for more than a month had been discovered in his own garage.
Police Scotland is the focus of yet another watchdog investigation over its efforts to trace Arnold Mouat. A body believed to be his is thought to have been found by a family member in a cavity loft in Bo’ness, near Falkirk.
The force had deployed search and rescue officers, dog units, mountain rescue teams and divers in efforts to trace the 64-year-old former oil worker.
His death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) has launched an inquiry into the crisis-hit force’s handling of the case.
It will focus partly on whether police had properly searched the area where Mr Mouat’s remains were found.
It brings the number of ongoing Pirc investigations to 21. Chief Constable Phil Gormley, meanwhile, faces a misconduct probe into bullying allegations.
Conservative MSP Liam Kerr accused the force of ‘losing its touch locally’ following a series of blunders since its inception in 2013. The shadow justice secre tary said: ‘The more incidents like these occur, the more people will lose faith in the single force’s ability to do the basics.’
The most high-profile error remains the M9 tragedy in July 2015, when John Yuill, 28, and his girlfriend Lamara Bell, 25, died after their crashed car was not investigated for three days. It followed the closure of a number of local control rooms.
Mr Kerr also highlighted an incident last week when a call handler in Glasgow didn’t know where the A90 was after receiving a call from a pensioner in Aberdeenshire.
He said: ‘There is an increasing mood that a centralised unit is losing its touch locally. The SNP drove this change, and these failings ultimately lie at the door of a nationalist Government.’
Assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins insisted it was ‘business as usual’ at the force.
In a statement, Mr Mouat’s family said: ‘We are devastated by the loss of a loving husband and father and we are now trying to come to terms with what has happened.
‘We would like to thank everyone for the support we have received over these last few difficult weeks but would now ask for our privacy to be respected.’
‘Ability to do the basics’