Highlands' top cop outlines stark challenges ahead – and address Ross-shire police station closure speculation

THE top cop in the Highlands has spoken openly about the challenges faced by the force because of budget constraints and addressed speculation that the axe looms over local stations in Dingwall and Tain.

Chief Superintendent Rob Shepherd warned that in some areas of policing the force will have to do some things “less well” – but insists it still performs its most vital roles “brilliantly.”

He said prioritisation means that residents can still have confidence the force will protect them from the most serious crime – but it is “unavoidable” that detection rates for some offences will fall.

Ch Supt Shepherd said: "More demand, less resource – something has to give. It comes down to life-saving intervention and who is the best experienced in dealing with those things and that is, without doubt at the moment, Police Scotland.”

Among the issues that are taking a toll on the force are a 25 per cent rise in calls in a year, the loss of dozens of officers, ultra-tight overtime budgets and station closures.

The potential closure of Dingwall and Tain police stations has been on the table for years with the prospect of many units concentrated in Alness.

'The running costs of old police stations are very, very high. Hundreds of thousands of pounds to heat and light Dingwall, Alness and Tain police stations. Although there is nothing happening within the next few years, we're looking at co-location of our response community team in Dingwall with our local authority colleagues or similar partner - Chief Superintendent Rob Shepherd

But he added that would only affect specialist units, adding: "There is no option on the table about not having a policing footprint there, we understand how important that is to people."

The most likely eventual outcome is co-locating with Highland Council, the Scottish Ambulance Service or the Scottish Fire Service.

Police chief opens up on challenges ahead and what is likely to change

“Due to the current challenges that is not anywhere near being agreed and in fact, it's probably further away from agreement that it has been for a long time,” he said.

“The running costs of old police stations are very, very high, hundreds of thousands of pounds to heat and light Dingwall, Alness and Tain police stations.

“So although there is nothing happening within the next few years, what we're looking at is a co-location of our response community team in Dingwall with our local authority colleagues or similar partner.

“Do the same in Tain and then moving everyone who isn't community response police officers into a new site or redeveloped site in Alness."

He said that way people would continue to see police every day, adding: "They're still there, they're that bit closer to the calls and we can save on day to day running costs of, as I say, hundreds of thousands of pounds."

Financial pressures are a major focus but the response to emergency calls remains unchanged.

“So when I say ‘doing everything less’ it isn’t everything – we do some things brilliantly as Police Scotland,” he said.

“We would always be able to focus on answering emergency calls. We would always focus on looking after the most vulnerable in society, be that in a mental health crisis or if they're missing or if they've been abused, assaulted, or similar – these are all lifesaving interventions. And we will always, always prioritise those.

“But that will lead to these difficult choices. More demand, less resource – something has to give. And so there will be areas where we will see our visibility reduce and our results, our detection rates, how well we solve crimes – we will see reductions, that's unavoidable. It's unavoidable.

“But the important, the really, really key and important thing is that where threat and risk and harm are highest, that's where we need to prioritise. And if we do that well then we will still be the service that supports people who really need us.”