Five years on, police chief admits single force’s failures
‘We could’ve done things better’
SCOTLAND’S acting Chief Constable has admitted officials ‘could have done things better’ in the controversial merger of the country’s police forces.
Iain Livingstone has hit out at the ‘compressed time frame’ officials were given for establishing Police Scotland, when the eight regional forces became one national body.
The single force’s creation has come under much criticism since its formation in April 2013 following a series of high-profile controversies.
These include armed policing, stop and search and the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill following a car crash on the M9.
Mr Livingstone told Holyrood magazine that it would be wrong to pin these issues on the merger, insisting that there were ‘critical incidents in policing before Police Scotland’.
However, he admitted the centralisation of policing could have been handled better.
‘Had we had more time, I think that would’ve helped. It was quite a compressed time frame,’ he said. ‘I would never say it went smoothly and it’s an unqualified success. I just wouldn’t. I’ve recognised we could have done things better.’
The Scottish Government confirmed the go-ahead for plans for a single force in September 2011. A Bill was
‘More time would have helped’
published in January 2012, gaining approval that June.
The force was established on April 1, 2013. Since then it has been plagued by problems, most recently a leadership crisis, with Chief Constable Phil Gormley on special leave after bullying allegations, which he denies.
Mr Livingstone – who put his retirement plans as Deputy Chief Constable on hold to cover for Mr Gormley – insisted ‘policing in Scotland is not in crisis’ and said Scotland is ‘safer now than if we had not gone through that reform programme’.
But Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This is confirmation from the very top that the SNP’s rushed merger of Scotland’s police forces was badly executed. The consequence of that is overstretched officers, a force mired in financial difficulties and a public rapidly losing faith in the accountability and transparency of the single force.’
Lib Dem Liam McArthur said: ‘Iain Livingstone’s comments demonstrate how officers have been left to make the best of a bad job following the SNP’s botched centralisation.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Police reform was widely supported on a cross-party basis and public confidence in policing remains strong. DCC Livingstone makes clear he considers Scotland to be safer now than if reform had not been pursued.’