MSP urges cops to keep special Highland roads cover
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AN MSP has attacked proposals to scrap 24-hour specialist policing cover for Highland roads.
John Finnie said he was aware that from the start of next year, the only round-the-clock road policing unit cover would be based in Glasgow, Motherwell and Edinburgh and they would be tasked with policing the motorway network.
Mr Finnie called for 24-hour specialist policing of the Highlands’ trunk road network to continue, and urged Police Scotland to devolve more power to local level, restoring the community policing ethos and "avoiding the mistakes caused" by centralised policy-making.
The Independent Highlands and Islands MSP said: "This is another example of a decision made in and on behalf of central Scotland which disregards the rest of the country.
"Of course Scotland’s motorway network is important and must be properly policed, but the same is true of the trunk road network in the north of Scotland.
"A major deterrent to would-be law breakers is the possibility of detection. This is particularly the case with travelling criminals who must be intercepted on our road network before visiting crime sprees on remote and rural committees.
"I call on Police Scotland to rethink not only this decision which clearly impacts on local policing but also to end the central policy-making which ignores local needs and that can best be achieved by devolving decision-making to local level and returning to community-based policing in the Highlands and Islands as soon as possible."
Mr Finnie’s information was not disputed by Chief Superintendent Iain Murray, Head of Road Policing.
Chief Spt Murray said: "Road policing will continue to provide specialist support across Scotland and this will include patrols in the North, East and West of the country.
"Shift patterns will change to ensure that we are deploying officers in the right place and at the right time to influence road users and make Scotland’s road safer but there will still be enough officers to deal with demand around the clock."
