The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Police refuse to reveal spending on probe
Police have refused to reveal if they have spent any money investigating the disappearance of Renee MacRae in the last decade.
During a cold case review of the murder inquiry in 2004, the then chief constable of Northern Constabulary Ian Latimer declared: “We will pursue this regardless of the cost.”
But in response to a freedom of information request by the Press and Journal on spending on the inquiry in the last 10 years, the force said this week it “does not hold any of the information requested”.
We asked about expenses incurred during the investigation, the number of officer hours spent, and the total cost, but received no answers. The force also refused to reveal how many interviews were carried out during the period.
The response was given despite the police last year revealing to the P&J the exact number of interviews, and the value of expenses incurred, in relation to the murder of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson.
The force said: “Police Scotland does not record the total costs involved for any specific operation or investigation.
“The officers and staff who worked on the disappearance of Renee MacRae and her son Andrew were drawn from different areas of the service, based on their skill sets.
“The division to which individual officers or staff belong meet the cost of their core time and so there is no requirement to maintain a record of the cost.”
Last night, a spokeswoman said the investigation remained ongoing. She said: “It is an undetected murder which is subject to regular and ongoing review by staff within Homicide Governance Review to identify any new investigative opportunities.
“Police Scotland work in close partnership with staff from the Cold Case Unit at COPFS to regularly review cases to ascertain if there are new evidential developments, including advances in forensic techniques, which could assist in providing a basis for criminal proceedings. The passage of time is no barrier.”
Anyone with information should phone non-emergency number 101, or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.
“The officers were drawn from different areas of the service”