Outrage after police in Tesco seen with guns
THE revelation that four armed police officers were seen in Tesco, Dingwall, on Sunday morning, with blatantly visible handguns has angered local Highland councillor Deirdre Mackay.
Speaking to the NT this week, the East Sutherland and Edderton representative said she thought Police Scotland’s reasoning for arming officers on routine patrols was “unacceptable”.
She said: “It was only two years ago that armed police were spotted getting their lunch from Harry Gow’s in Brora. Quite rightly there was public outcry.
“The new centralised Police Scotland had secretly approved a directive which authorised specialist armed officers to carry handguns on routine patrol.
“The subsequent national outrage contributed in no small way to the short lived tenure of the Chief Constable, Stephen House. He claimed at the time that Highland councillors, and I was one, were being ‘mischievous’ and ‘pursuing their own agenda’.
“The public was subsequently assured that specialist armed officers would only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there is a threat to life.
“I was therefore angry to learn that, amongst other places, armed police have been breakfasting in Tesco in Dingwall. This is Dingwall not Dallas. Lessons clearly have not been learned. This is a bad move by the police.”
She went on to say that councillors depend on detailed reports from professionals to enable them to make measured, balanced decisions on a range of issues which will impact on our communities.
She said: “There will be none more significant than that of guns. Just as they did before the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) claim that this is a matter for Police Scotland.
“But it’s not. When CS sprays and tasers were introduced in Highland, full reports went to the then Northern Joint Police board where members were able to fully discuss, question and scrutinise the information and go away content in the knowledge that these new measures were appropriate.
“There has been no such opportunity and this is an uncomfortable departure from democratic accountability as we know it.
“This was despite the very clear message coming from council that the issue is not the training or integrity of officers, the issues are the lack of evidence to support the routine wearing of guns and the absence of a transparent decision making process.”
Mrs Mackay emphasised that she is fully supportive of the armed response unit with all its safeguards, but councillors were advised previously that there was a “strategic risk” inherent in the 20 minute delay of officers having to arm from the secure cabinets in cars, as they had in the past. But she said councillors later learned this is actually around one and a half minutes.
She continued: “Having been dismissed, it is disturbing to see this argument tabled again.
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“This latest incident is particularly disconcerting when we consider the level of public outrage two years ago.
“In Highland Council, across all parties and none, there was a real willingness for Police Scotland to come up with a level of evidence which would give members comfort in the decision taken.
“But this did not happen. And now we see history repeat itself.
“This is a policy not just unacceptable across Highland but unacceptable across Scotland. The Dingwall incident is the thin end of wedge and must be challenged.”
On Monday, Police Scotland issued the statement: “These officers were doing absolutely nothing wrong.
“Police Scotland’s standing firearms authority means that there is a chance that members of the public will see a small number of our officers in public places wearing sidearms.
“Armed officers must wear their sidearm while on duty at all times, but are only sent to incidences where an armed response is deemed necessary or there is an immediate threat to life.”
