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Police guns inquiry under fire in the Highlands





Independent MSP John Finnie is unhappy with the SPA report
Independent MSP John Finnie is unhappy with the SPA report

Police should have consulted the public before arming officers on routine patrols, an inquiry into the controversial policy has found.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) says the force underestimated community feelings, failed to communicate the changes properly and that its arming of routine patrols marked a significant change in policing style.

The SPA said Police Scotland should not revert to the model of police officers overtly carrying sidearms whilst attending routine duties.

However, its report stresses that a subsequent survey of over 1,000 people found a narrow majority supported the policy.

The findings have been branded "mealy-mouthed" by the Highland MSP who first raised concerns about the policy shift.

John Finnie, a former police officer and a member of the Scottish Parliament’s justice and police committees, accused Police Scotland of being behind the delays that prevented the inquiry’s findings being released weeks ago.

"I understand that this report was delayed due to Police Scotland, who were given early sight of the report, demanding it be rewritten," he said. "I have to say that the whole tone suggests that is the case.

"The public has no cause to be reassured by the mealy-mouthed words in this report nor those of the Highlands and Islands divisional commander who only last week was complaining he couldn’t reach his agreed targets as he could no longer use armed officers.

"It’s been clear throughout that Police Scotland displayed real arrogance by providing minimal information on this significant change on arming to the SPA. In turn, the SPA failed the public by failing to give the matter the appropriate scrutiny.

"Sadly, rather than apologise, the SPA justifies this error by stating its ‘focus’ was on other matters. From an SPA point of view, it’s been everyone’s fault but theirs with mild rebukes to the police, elected representatives and indeed the public.

"We must remain vigilant if we are to ensure Scotland retains an unarmed police service."

Local MP Danny Alexander said: “Many Highlanders held deep reservations about arming officers for regular duties.

“It marked a fundamental shift away from local policing by consent we treasure in the Highlands and towards a centralised, one size fits all approach that Liberal Democrats consistently opposed.

“The ruling by the SPA makes it clear that police officers should not be armed on routine patrols.

"It is a victory for communities and vindication for our campaign against SNP centralisation.”

Concerns over arming of officers on routine patrol were first raised last summer and increased in intensity after the Strathy's sister paper The Inverness Courier published a photograph of three officers patrolling the city’s High Street with Glock 17 semi-automatic pistols.

The controversy sparked a national debate and, in October, amid increasing criticism, Police Scotland said armed officers would only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there was a threat to life.

The SPA’s inquiry findings include a public attitudes survey of more than 1000 people which suggests public concerns may have been "less widespread in Scotland than media coverage and civic comment may have suggested." Of those surveyed, 53 per cent supported the deployment of armed officers on routine duties.

But the SPA also concludes the force underestimated the concerns deploying armed police to community events such as the Highland Cross would raise.

It recommends that in future Police Scotland consults the SPA, local authorities and communities before making any such fundamental changes.

Assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins said some of the inquiry’s findings highlighted public confidence in policing had remained high during the matter.

"As announced last year, we are reviewing the carriage systems for weapons used by armed officers and the functions they perform when they are not dealing with firearms incidents," he stated.

"We will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations from the SPA report."


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