Police: No-change call despite critics

The chairwoman of Scotland’s police watchdog has cautioned MSPs against making changes to legislation which established the single force five years ago.

Susan Deacon, who took over as chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) last year, also warned against a review of her own organisation – describing such a move as “one of the worst things that could be done at this point”.

Police Scotland was set up through the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 with the aim of making savings and ensuring policing was fit for purpose in the future.

But critics say the organisation is not working, pointing to a series of scandals and setbacks within the force and a string of governance failings at the SPA – the body set up to both support and scrutinise it.

Ms Deacon appeared alongside the newly appointed chief constable Iain Livingstone at Holyrood’s Justice Committee in a post-legislative review of the Act.

She said: “Fundamentally, I think the structure is right.

“I think it’s critically important, not least given some of the challenges that both Police Scotland the SPA faced in the early years, that the organisations now get the chance to really stabilise and develop and deliver policing.”

Mr Livingstone told MSPs that over 320 murders had been committed since the single force was set up, all of which had been “detected”, with the exception of two ongoing inquiries.