Routine arming of officers may be called in by Police Authority

THE CONTROVERSIAL decision by Chief Constable Sir Stephen House to arm officers with handguns during routine patrol could be called in by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

The group’s northern board member Ian Ross - who is from Golspie - said there is a strong chance the decision will come under tough scrutiny by members of the board.

He said: “As an authority we are acutely aware of the intense public interest in this decision and it may well be, although no decision has been made, that there will be further scrutiny carried out by us.

“We make observations and we may also make a number of recommendations.”

David Alston, deputy leader of Highland Council, said it would be a welcome move.

He said: “Clearly, it’s good news if the SPA are going to begin deeper scrutiny of this decision. I am certainly very uncomfortable that what is a fundamental change in policing should be the decision of the Chief Constable alone and not one for the Chief Constable to make in consultation with the Scottish Police Authority or the Justice Secretary.”

A total of 275 dedicated firearms officers are deployed on a shift pattern basis to carry handguns in a holster while on routine patrol across Scotland, but only a small number are actually deployed at one time. There are 30 in the Highlands and Islands, of which 17 are based in the Inverness area.

Prior to the new policy, which was implemented last year, guns were locked in secure cabinets in the boot of patrol cars. The change only came to light a few weeks ago.

Chief Superintendent Julian Innes said it was curious that the armed police team attended 2500 incidents in the 12 months between April 2013 and April 2014 wearing their guns but not a single member of the public raised a concern.

“They either didn’t care or they didn’t notice,” he said.

The SPA’s possible move towards scrutiny of the change comes days after five armed police officers were caught on camera in Inverness High Street mingling with the pub closing crowd.

Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill indicated that he would be asking questions about the armed police presence but has rejected concerns the chief constable has too much power.

Earlier this month, Councillor Alston demanded clearer checks and balances for police policy decisions in the wake of the Highlands’ armed policing row.

Speaking from Wick on Monday night after the cabinet held a public question and answer debate over the referendum, Mr MacAskill said he would like to “know more facts” about the five officers in Inverness city centre on Saturday night but insisted the Chief Constable answered to the SPA and it was “definitely the right decision” to arm a small number police all across Scotland.

“The structure of Police Scotland is such that the chief constable is held to account by the SPA,” he said. “Operational matters are made by the chief. That has always been the case, that’s what happened in the old forces in Northern and other areas and that is the situation now. I think it’s the right decision because the politicians, local or national, should not be involved in operational police decisions. I think that would cause great difficulties and would give the impression of a politicised decision.”

He added: “What we’ve got to remember is that in Scotland we have more than 17,000 police officers of which 275 are authorised to carry firearms and that’s throughout the whole of Scotland. They operate on a shift basis so the percentage of officers who are carrying firearms in Scotland is a fraction of the total number. Violent crime is down and Scotland is a safer place to live.”

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