Police board ‘must learn from failings’

THE new boss of Scotland’s police watchdog has issued an ultimatum to board members who presided over its recent troubles – advising them to ‘reflect on their position’.

The warning by Scottish Police Authority (SPA) chairman Professor Susan Deacon puts pressure on long-serving members.

It follows sustained criticism over the SPA’s secretive practices, lack of transparency, governance and decision-making.

Professor Deacon also said there was a need to review how misconduct complaints are dealt with at Police Scotland in the wake of the resignation of former Chief Constable Phil Gormley amid bullying allegations.

She told Scotland on Sunday: ‘As far as continuing board members are concerned, what I’ve made clear to them is that it’s important to recognise the failings there have been... and it’s important that people take responsibility for where there have been shortcomings. I think it’s important people reflect carefully on their position.’

Her comments came in response to a letter from Labour MSP Jenny Marra, convener of the audit committee.

Miss Marra expressed concern that, while SPA deputy chairman Nicola Marchant has resigned, long-standing board member David Hume has not. In the past year, SPA former chairman Andrew Flanagan and chief executive John Foley also resigned.

After his departure, it emerged Mr Foley was given a £57,000 ‘golden handshake’ payment on top of an early retirement sum of £43,470. He

‘Responsibility for shortcomings’

had taken early retirement after a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland raised concerns about his leadership.

The SPA said it had ‘no option’ but to pay due to fear of legal action if it did not.

An ongoing tribunal has heard claims a senior SPA executive received a £165,000 payoff weeks after being arrested for domestic abuse.

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick was paid £67,000 by the SPA after she transferred from the Metropolitan Police, and also had a personal tax liability of £53,000 paid.

Asked about past mistakes, Professor Deacon, a former Labour health minister, admitted she was ‘surrounded by lessons to be learnt’.

She said: ‘I think the board meetings could be massively better and the questioning could be so much better.

‘The SPA board has a long way to go to have a style of questioning which is pitched in the right way both to elicit the right kind of information out of Police Scotland, but also to shine a light in a way that makes sense to the man or woman in the street.’

The SPA is due to begin the recruitment process for the next chief constable.

Mr Gormley’s resignation meant five gross misconduct investigations, reported to have cost £57,000, were unable to be concluded.

This has led to a demand for the rules in Scotland to be changed, bringing them in line with regulations in England and Wales.

Professor Deacon said: ‘I see the need for quite considerable review and reflection on all of that, not least the experience we’ve had of individual cases over the first five years of Police Scotland.’

Police Scotland was unavailable for comment.