North MSP steps into SPA centralised agenda row

Highlands & Islands (including Moray) MSP and Shadow Minister for Transport and Islands, David Stewart, has reacted with dismay at the Scottish Police Authorities (SPA) decision to meet in the central belt and not travel across Scotland, meaning there will be no visits to the Highlands, Islands or Moray.

Speaking today (2/3/15), he said “ There are 12 members of the SPA and only one from the Highlands & Islands. As I understand it there is also one member from the North East of Scotland, that leaves the remaining 10 members all based in the central belt or just South of that”.

“The SPA web site states: “ communities should be able to influence the services they receive – and they can’t do that without knowing exactly what they are getting. That requires public engagement, openness and accountability at a local as well as national level”.

“ Yes, I understand that the SPA are linking in with senior stakeholders through special points of contacts, but what about listening to the public within the communities that Police Scotland serve”?

“ Of course the public have a means to input to local Policing Plans, but what if they want an input about how the Police are organised and run on a day to day basis. I thought we were now in the era of empowerment, accessibility and devolvement out from the big Scottish urban centres. Last week I was highlighting how the Government and the DVLA and those they contract to carry out the work of driver assessments, have cancelled their mobile programmes and every driver requiring an assessment has now to travel to Edinburgh as the only centre in Scotland. Today we learn that the SPA are planning on holding all their meetings in the central belt to save travel costs. So would car sharing and the hiring of a minibus to transport members about the country. I am just keen that the public in the North of Scotland, the Western Isles, the Northern Isles and Moray get a fair opportunity to discuss the service provided by Police Scotland”.

“ Since it’s inception in 2012 and the SPA promise of six meetings to be held per year, there have been 27 meetings held to date. One was held in the Highlands and Islands, in Inverness, on 26 March 2014. The remaining 26 were held outwith this area”. The one held in Inverness also clashed with the Highland Council Community Safety Committee, so key Councillors were not able to attend the meeting. Surely it is no hard to find a date which does not clash with other key meetings”

David Stewart continued “  I think at a time when very senior high ranking Police officers are being challenged about the service they provide and the SPA themselves come under scrutiny, apparent disengagement with the public in the rural and scattered communities is not the right way to go and I ask the SPA to reconsider this decision and reflect on the negative message this decision is sending out to those in the North”.

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