Top cop flags public safety fears over armed officer 'u-turn'
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THE region’s most senior police officer has expressed concern for public safety following Police Scotland’s decision to change its armed policing policy.
Chief Superintendent Julian Innes has “mixed feelings” over the scrapping of a ruling that allowed constables to respond to run-of-the-mill incidents with handguns.
In future, armed officers can only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there is a threat to life.
The move came following concerns from politicians about officers carrying weapons while on routine patrol.
Chief Spt Innes said: “I have mixed feelings. I am glad that it has been demonstrated that Police Scotland is a listening organisation. But I am reflecting on the way in which will impact on public safety in the area due to the decision that’s been made today.”
Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie, who was the first MSP to challenge police over the "standing firearms authority", which saw armed attending on routine duties such as the Highland Cross charity race, said the decision was “a great relief”.
He said: “I welcome the fact that Police Scotland has responded to legitimate public concerns about armed officers walking about our towns and villages, and changed their firearms policy.
“It is a great relief that armed police officers will no longer be seen on our streets dealing with routine police business as this was having a negative impact on community relations.”
Highland MP Danny Alexander also welcomed the change, saying it was “a significant u-turn”.
However, Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said the standing order was not being removed, and there would be no going back to the days where weapons were locked in a secure cabinet in the boot of patrol cars.
He said: “We now have very clear directions about what these officers can and cannot do. Previously Chief Spt Innes would make a deployment and ask them to go and target a place in Inverness that was maybe getting a wee bit rowdy.
"Calls would go out and the officers would respond to them. The difference from now is there won’t be any of that kind of deployment - but if they come across a distressed woman whose lost her five-year-old in the park they are going to go and find the kid. And if there’s a serious road accident and somebody is injured then I fully expect that they will attend.”
He said specialist firearms officers would be kept busy with other work in between calls to attend firearms incidents.
He said: “There are a lot more incidents than people believe. Across Scotland from April to August we had 2,800 firearms calls, that’s up from 2,600 for the same time last year. And in Highland there were 45 full firearm deployments in the same period.
"They are like any other police officer. They will have their mountain of paperwork to get through. Some people might question the value of having officers in that capacity. My view is that’s a small number of officers. It’s a small price to pay for the safety of the public.”
Danny Alexander said the move was “great news” for thousands of Highlanders who backed the campaign to get the policy scrapped.
He said: “Highlanders do not want armed officers patrolling our streets, but for too long the Justice Secretary buried his head in the sand and refused to listen. His armed police policy was illiberal, unwarranted and baseless.”
Police Scotland is also reviewing the types of holsters used to carry the handguns. Assistant Chief Constable Higgins said: “We had 24 letters of complaint and very few of the questioned the requirement for firearms. There seems to be an acceptance that we need firearms officers. The big sticking point is the overt nature of them.”
