Concern over number of police officers on Highland beat

Fears that community bobbies are not being replaced in the Highlands because they have been promoted to specialist Police Scotland teams have been flagged up.

But the region’s police chief has insisted that officer numbers have not been cut in the region since the national force was controversially established.

Chief superintendent Julian Innes said the Highland Council area was policed by 673 officers, which was only two less than employed by Northern Constabulary before it was abolished in April.

He said those posts would be filled soon and sought to dampen down concerns from worried councillors Richard Laird and Andrew Baxter that "gaps" were appearing.

Councillor Laird said he was a "big fan" of community beat officers in his ward but there had been a recent "churn" of officers, he told the local authority’s latest community safety meeting.

Lochaber councillor Baxter echoed similar fears and said gaps had appeared in his area as officers were transferred to newly-formed units set up by Police Scotland.

These include domestic violence, organised crime and trunk road policing teams.

"There is a concern that this churn is being created by the creation of specialist units, they are being filled by officers from within the division and at the moment these vacant posts are not actually being back-filled," said Councillor Baxter.

He said that concerns had been expressed to him privately by officers and in Lochaber he claimed there was a shortage of nine officers.

"It is having an impact on morale," he added.

But chief superintendent Innes insisted there were "no vacancies" and said he would never stand in the way of officers being asked to join the specialist units.

"We try and select our better officers for these roles, they are doing a good job and that makes them attractive to our units," he said.

"I am not going to stop them doing that. We had 675 officers, we now have 673 officers, the deployment model is different."

The divisional commander said the force’s style of policing in the Highlands would remain community orientated. He added that selecting the right candidate for community beats was vital otherwise they could "wreck" the good work by their predecessors.

Afterwards, Councillor Laird said he was not satisfied with the superintendent’s response and would continue to seek a commitment that community beat officers in his Inverness Central ward would not be redeployed to plug "gaps" elsewhere.

But Badenoch and Strathspey Highland councillor Dave Fallows (SNP) said: "I understand the concern that arises over specific numbers in particular roles in kcal areas, but overall, the police service is increasingly mobile, and needs to be flexible in picking up roles that have to be undertaken.

"That there is a continuing commitment to community orientated policing is important, and that commitment has been given.

"But if particular individual police officers have particular talents that make them candidates for advancement in their chosen career, by filling a specialist role, it is unreasonable of any of us to stand in their way.

"The key issues as the service evolves are that numbers of officers in Highland remain as they are - which assurance has been given - and that the focus remains on communities - which has also been given.

"We should leave senior officers to get on and deliver on these commitments that they themselves have made."

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