Are Our Police Worth It?

The Taxpayers Alliance say that, on average, nearly 10% of Wales' and England's police authorities' budget is spent on their Chief Executive's salary and pensions.  Isn't that a disgrace, particularly when these authorities aren't properly accountable to the public?

Having gained that information I set about finding how much my police authority - Tayside Police - paid the boss.

The 'best' I could find was this - where pay is evaluated through the Hay System. It shows that the head of the largest police service in Scotland (Strathclyde) commands a salary of £173,994 plus a gold-plated pension.  No problem with their pensions having been raided or their 'perks' having been reduced. The head of Strathclyde's finest receives the second highest salary in the UK police service while my own chief law enforcer receives a mere £130,044.

Comparing police salary grades with the Army, I find the pay in the army is less, but I respect the fact that there are many more brigadiers than heads of divisional police forces. But why should I do such a a comparison?

There has been so much controversy since the Coalition took office about military staff costs yet little has been said about UK police force expenditure.
Does a police commissioner deserve a salary 30% more than an army brigadier? If you have little or no experience of the responsibilities and duties of military officers I don't expect an answer, but let's not ignore the salaries those in the ACPOS award themselves - the 'secret' salaries and secret pensions. The ACPO and ACPOS are 'private' enterprises yet as taxpayers we foot their bills.

I didn't begin this post to negatively criticise the UK police force and in particular the Scottish one, but it does make me wonder about Kenny MacAskill's decision for one police force for Scotland and the staff costs involved. A saving of £130m a year seems a pittance when it also includes the changes to a single national fire and rescue service. As yet I haven't met anyone who believes one police force will provide a equal or better service to the status quo or save public money.

As for ACPOS, surely this secretive organisation will become defunct, or will its title be changed to the Association of the Chief Police Officer of Scotland.

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Not A Post About The Labour Conference

This morning I had to read this Scotsman article twice. Surely the Unionist Scotsman wasn't praising an SNP government's policy, but yes, it's true. They have no option.  The figures show that Scotland's police have saved £100 million in the past year and diverted money towards frontline services.

I thought, with scepticism, considering the spin we continually receive from the Westminster government, that the statistics may not be authentic.

However why should Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) praise chief officers for driving reported crime down to a 35-year-old low, while trimming their budgets.  Why does Kenny MacAskill think the police service will be able to reduce their costs even more if they become one organisation?

In January this year Alex Salmond indicated that the SNP manifesto would include a move to a single force in Scotland and once again he intends to fulfill his commitment in the hope that a single police force for Scotland would save taxpayers money.  Unfortunately that would only occur in an independent Scotland, but if the figures from the HMICS are anything to go by, then we're on the way to having a professional and efficient police service, so long as personalities, ambitions and the tick-box culture in public services don't prevail.

But, it's a good news story from Scotland and one which doesn't even mention a certain conference south of the border.

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The Future of Scotland's Police Service

At the beginning of the year we had a constructive discussion here about the future of Scotland's police.  Some excellent points were made and the majority view was that policing primarily had to be local; the number of forces were secondary.

All of Scotland's 32 local authorities are against the move and they want to retain the present eight forces. The Herald is reporting the concerns of a former local government head, Sir Charles Gray, who described the move as potentially "quite dangerous".

...“On one occasion the possibility of a single force was raised. I have never forgotten the contribution by a senior officer who would go on to serve with considerable distinction.

“He said very firmly, it should not be considered. You could have a rogue chief with a few well-placed deputies in charge of what could become, to all intents and purposes, a personal army and a police state...

Sir Charles' remarks reminded me of a link The Police... Are they a Private Political Army? sent to me by a loyal reader. It's a fairly lengthy read but certainly an interesting one.

Today around 100 opponents of the proposal are meeting in Edinburgh for a one-day conference organised by Cosla. The Justice Secretary is trying to head off confrontation with council bosses by promising local authorities that they will be closely involved in the shaping of policing within their boundaries.  But will this be enough, especially when it's proposed that the oversight mechanism for the new service, a Scottish Police Board, may sideline councillors?

If I were a gambling woman I'd say Kenny MacAskill will win the argument by a thread.  He is determined to change the face of Scotland's police services, but are his actions only those of a cosmetic surgeon?  Only time will tell.

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Poll Results

Thanks to the 122 of you who voted in the Changes to Scotland's Policing poll.  A single force wins as you see, while very closely behind (on 46) are the combined votes for a three or four force throughout the country.  Surprisingly 30 of you voted for the status quo.

Perhaps someone will pass on the results to Kenny MacAskill as he makes no secret he supports the change to a single force. As the decision will not be made until after the Holyrood elections it's a waiting game.

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Policing

The headlines today concern the policing of Scotland.  It's reported that a Ministerial Statement will be issued by the Scottish Government on 12 January to the effect that the government will be indicating in their manifesto the intent to move to a single force in the future.

Is this good or bad news for Scotland?  Labour already support a single police force and should the SNP follow then that makes a majority for the idea.  Back in October, at the SNP conference, Alex Salmond indicated a preference for three or four forces.  What has brought about this change of mind?

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is against the idea.  No surprises there then.  Would the amalgamation of our current forces effect the demise of ACPOS?  If that was the case then it's certainly a plus.

The main concern about a single force has been coming from the Grampian Police and Northern Constabulary areas and that's understandable. Strathclyde is by far the biggest of the present eight forces in Scotland. Aberdeenshire is far removed from the Glasgow area and not only in distance. Both areas have differing social problems as well as a few in common and Grampian are worried that they are consumed by the much larger Strathclyde methods.

I certainly think that eight police forces is excessive, particularly now that IT has finally come of age within this public service.  It has taken years for IT to work effectively but I'm reliably informed it does now save many man hours.

Whether we could manage with a single force or would be better provided by three or four, I haven't yet decided. What I'd like to know is the reason(s) for the SNP's change of heart before I make a final judgement.

In the right-hand column I've put up a wee poll. Please vote if you have time.  The results will be interesting.

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Another Tidy Up On the Cards

Kenny Mac Askill, Scottish Justice Secretary (centre above) has urged police forces to share services and admitted that the police's current structures were no longer possible in the face of £35 billion cuts from the Scottish public services budget over the next 15 years.

He raised the spectre of radical reorganisation when he said that back office mergers would have to take place across forces to reduce duplication of effort. "We are a small country and we can no longer afford to do everything eight times over," he warned.

Restructuring of Scotland's police forces has proved a deeply divisive issue in the past. HM Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland suggested last year the creation of a single Scottish force to meet the challenges of the economic crisis but this was fiercely resisted by the eight chief constables.

Of course chief constables will want to protect their own power base, but that's not necessarily good for the public purse or the country. As Kenny MacAskill says, "There is a need for fresh thinking and new approaches." That's fine as long as it doesn't mean civilian taking over tasks which should be undertaken by a qualified police officer.

source

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Another in the series 'How Much More of It?'

Another article in the press today from the 'How Much More of It?' series.

Let me introduce you to Micharl Mancini (above), a furniture restorer from Prestwick, Ayrshire.

Mr Mancini was given a fixed penalty of £60 and docked three penalty points on his licence after leaning over and pulling out a paper tissue to wipe his nose when stuck in a traffic jam in Ayr High Street. He said that his van was in neutral with its handbrake on and that he was flabbergasted when he was signalled into a parking bay by an approaching policeman.

Matters became “a little bit surreal”, he said, when he wound down his window and was promptly charged by the stern-faced PC Stuart Gray, a man known locally as “Shiny Buttons” in recognition of his zealous attention to detail. “I honestly thought it was a joke,” said Mancini, 39, who was booked for failing to be in control of his vehicle.

“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding’. But he was absolutely deadpan. He’s a policeman, so you’re not going to start shouting abuse at him. I thought, ‘What is the world coming to?’ You pick the papers up every day and they are full of horror stories — but this bloke has nothing more to do with his time.”

This is not the first time PC Gray has acted against the very people he's paid to protect. He earned notoriety for doling out a £50 fine to Stewart Smith, another Ayr man, who dropped a £10 note from his back pocket. Mr Smith was charged with littering.

Mr Mancini decided to give Strathclyde Police the opportunity to drop the case and they refused. Last week the local procurator fiscal reaffirmed his determination to proceed. The district court has no power to award costs, so even if Mancini's case is dismissed, he may face considerable expense.

"It is absolutely crazy, but I have no option but to press on," Mancini said. "The police must show some common sense. I believe absolutely in road safety but I am not going to sit back and accept a £60 fine and three points on my licence for something I didn't do. I will fight this all the way."

If I lived over his side of the country I'd be at court offering my support. Haven't we far better issues to spent money on such as education and health.

source

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Scottish Police Numbers Reach a Record High

Kenny MacAskill claimed yesterday that the Scottish Government was on target to meet its commitment of 1000 extra police after new figures showed that the numbers of officers in Scotland had risen above 17,000 for the first time.

After a sluggish start, caused by the retiral of many officers, considerable progress has been made and yesterday's figures now suggest that the 1000 officer pledge is likely to be met in time for the next election in 2011. The statistics showed that, at the end of March this year, there were a record number of 17,408 police officers employed across the country. That is 373 more than at the end of December last year and is a rise of 821 from March 2008.

The figures showed that the number of officers had increased in all eight of Scotland's police forces.

Congratulations Mr MacAskill.

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