Highland police guns policy could go to watchdog
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THE CONTROVERSIAL decision by Chief Constable Sir Stephen House to arm officers with handguns during routine patrol could be called in by the Scottish Police Authority.
The group’s northern board member Ian Ross said there is a strong chance the decision will come under tough scrutiny by members of the board.
Mr Ross said: "As an authority we are acutely aware of the intense public interest in this decision and it may well be, although no decision has been made, that there will be further scrutiny carried out by us.
"We make observations and we may also make a number of recommendations."
David Alston, deputy leader of Highland Council, said it would be a welcome move.
He said: "Clearly, it’s good news if the Scottish Police Authority are going to begin deeper scrutiny of this decision.
"I am certainly very uncomfortable that what is a fundamental change in policing should be the decision of the Chief Constable alone and not one for the Chief Constable to make in consultation with the Scottish Police Authority or the Justice Secretary."
A total of 275 dedicated firearms officers are deployed on a shift pattern basis to carry handguns in a holster while on routine patrol across Scotland, but only a small number are actually deployed at one time. There are 30 in the Highlands and Islands, of which 17 are based in the Inverness area.
Prior to the new policy, which was implemented last year, guns were locked in secure cabinets in the boot of patrol cars. The change only came to light a few weeks ago.
Chief Superintendent Julian Innes said it was curious that the armed police team attended 2,500 incidents in the 12 months between April 2013 and April 2014 wearing their guns but not a single member of the public raised a concern.
"They either didn’t care or they didn’t notice," he said.
