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Highland Council calls for retention of 999 control room





The region's police control room could be axed within a few months
The region's police control room could be axed within a few months

A former police inspector will be at the forefront of talks between Highland Council and the emergency services after being appointed to a new role.

Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss, who previously served as a chief inspector with the Northern Constabulary, has been appointed the strategic lead for police and fire amid safety fears as a result of centralisation.

The fire control room in the Highlands has already been closed, with calls now answered in Dundee, and the same is set to happen to the police later this year.

Councillor Reiss, who represents Thurso and north west Caithness, wants to work constructively with emergency services but raised concerns about the "erosion of local services and jobs".

"The council has long had an excellent working relationship with local police officers in the Highlands," he said.

"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Chief Superintendent George MacDonald in his new role as divisional commander and we are already confident that he understands the differing styles of rural policing and the importance community partnerships, particularly as his roots are in north Highland.

"Over the past few years there has been a steady erosion of local services and jobs in the north, as part of a creeping centralisation to the Central Belt.

"It is clear that there has been a considerable amount of public concern over recent control room closures and a lack of transparency in both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority."

His comments come after senior council and police figures held talks recently about the future of the control room, as well as an apparent change to the promises made in 2014 to retain the National Database Enquiry Unit (NDEU) in Inverness.

There is now a suggestion that much of the service could now be based in Govan, Glasgow.

Cllr Reiss added: "It has become apparent in recent weeks that we have reason to doubt this commitment.

"We now understand that Police Scotland have a different model or options, which we have been refused sight of to date and these appear to include basing some or the majority of the NDEU in Govan.

"Highland Council has had to read between the lines of ambiguous papers and probe for information, whereas it is the role of the SPA to properly scrutinise the matter."

At the latest full council meeting, councillors agreed a motion asking the Scottish Government and Scottish Police Authority for clarity on whether jobs will be retained in the north and to re-consider the control room closure.

Council leader Margaret Davidson said: "The meeting was long overdue and we are still not clear about the number of jobs left for Highland if the control room is taken from us.

"We will need to see that number and ensure it matches the promises both from Police Scotland and local politicians.

"I am assured that a great deal of work has been done to improve safety measures within control room technology. However, our preferred outcome remains to retain the control room in the Highlands and the jobs, local knowledge and experience that go with it."

The motion received cross-party support as Cllr Richard Laird, SNP deputy leader and chairman of the audit and scrutiny said he is "furious at the backtracking".

He added: "We were told that the Highland voice would be heard in all these decisions being made and I see this nowhere."

A Police Scotland spokesman did not confirm if the Inverness NDEU will be cut but said there will be no compulsory redundancies.

He said: "At our meeting with the leader of Highland Council last week assistant chief constable John Hawkins, senior responsible officer for C3 division along with other senior officers and colleagues, provided reassurance to the leader that not only are we committed to no compulsory redundancies but that all staff currently working in Inverness will have the opportunity to transfer to the newly created NDEU in Inverness, where their skills and expertise will be used to support this critical function supporting local officers.

"Staff within Inverness continue to receive regular updates on the transition taking place."


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