Committee
Justice Sub-Committee on Policing 31 October 2013
31 Oct 2013 · S4 · Justice Sub-Committee on Policing
Item of business
Local Policing
If consultation had taken place at ward level, what you say would have been borne out, because people’s experience is that they generally use the telephone or, increasingly, social media to get in touch. That is why I feel that an opportunity has been lost. When you reflect on the consultation, do you think that it could have been handled better?
In the same item of business
The Convener
SNP
Item 2 is local policing. I ask the committee to try to conclude this item by 2.10 at the latest so that we have time to consider our work programme. We will...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind)
Ind
Good afternoon, panel. One of the main policy objectives behind police reform was“to strengthen the connection between services and communities”—that is what...
Chief Constable Sir Stephen House (Police Scotland)
I agree with virtually everything in the question. There is no doubt that the presence of a police station or police office and a front counter is part of an...
John Finnie
Ind
If consultation had taken place at ward level, what you say would have been borne out, because people’s experience is that they generally use the telephone o...
Chief Constable House
When we look back on things, we can always say that maybe we could have done them a little better, but I must defend my organisation and the staff who undert...
The Convener
SNP
I accept what you say about staff, but I think that the question was about the public at large—am I correct?
John Finnie
Ind
Yes—the question was also about the opportunity for engagement that could have arisen.
Chief Constable House
I apologise.
John Finnie
Ind
Apart from hearing that a big bad boy in Glasgow is closing everything, I am being sold the idea that—ironically—this is a good-news story, because across th...
Chief Constable House
I am happy to take responsibility for the fact that we might have gone on too negative an attack. I say that because we realised that people would be concern...
John Finnie
Ind
Has that approach reinforced the idea that the decision is one that is made by someone in Glasgow rather than a decision that is made in a local community’s ...
Chief Constable House
I guess that it has. I do not want to get too philosophical too early, but this is also about leadership. The development is important and, taken in the roun...
John Finnie
Ind
I understand that.The situation makes it awkward for proponents to say, “Look—there will be this local consultation.” The national consultation has not remov...
Superintendent Craig Naylor (Police Scotland)
The local policing plans are very much about the divisional commander engaging with local communities, community safety partnerships, community planning part...
Chief Constable House
I stress that this is a consultation process. In effect, it ends today, and we will reflect on the responses that we have received. I think that we have had ...
John Finnie
Ind
Finally, on the proposal that there be a window, for argument’s sake, you said that closures are proposed for areas where the station would be retained. The ...
Chief Constable House
Sorry, are you saying that we will keep a place open where it is very quiet?
John Finnie
Ind
It has been suggested to me that if a station remains, surely someone could just chap at the window and whoever is through the back would answer them.
Chief Constable House
Yes. I understand that. Again, policing is about dealing with society and humanity. If the locals know well enough that the cop is in there because they can ...
The Convener
SNP
Margaret Mitchell and Graeme Pearson both want to come in on the issue of police front counters, so we will exhaust that area first.
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
Good afternoon, gentlemen. Can I press you a little bit on the consultation itself and on exactly how extensive it was and what methods were used to engage t...
Chief Constable House
We did not engage external consultants to carry out a big, fancy process. We looked at the consultations, work and analysis that had already been done in a n...
Superintendent Naylor
Yes, in four forces.
Chief Constable House
In the four legacy forces where that had not been done, we commissioned some up-to-date work. However, I do not want people to get carried away about the wor...
Margaret Mitchell
Con
I will just stop you there, chief constable. I think that you are talking about the review; I am asking about how widespread the public consultation was.As I...
Chief Constable House
Again, we are still in that consultation process because it has not—
Margaret Mitchell
Con
It closes today.
Chief Constable House
Yes, it closes today.
Margaret Mitchell
Con
So how has Police Scotland engaged with the public in the consultation?
Chief Constable House
As you suggested, we got a certain amount of newspaper and media coverage. I have done a large number of media interviews about the consultation, and we have...