Committee
Justice Committee 16 March 2021
16 Mar 2021 · S5 · Justice Committee
Item of business
Justice Sub-Committee on Policing (Report Back)
I will be brief. As ever, I will be happy to take questions. As you have said, convener, on 1 March the sub-committee took evidence from Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr and Assistant Chief Constable Patrick Campbell on Brexit and policing. That updated the evidence that we had heard at a previous meeting, in October last year, which took place prior to the end of the transition period on 31 December. It is fair to say that, across law enforcement, there is a willingness to make the current arrangements work. However, in some respects those are “sub-optimal”, to employ the term that was used. The sub-committee’s final session took place yesterday, when we heard from the SPA’s new chair, Martyn Evans, and new chief executive, Lynn Brown, on its priorities for the future. We also covered a range of matters that had been undertaken at previous meetings, not least the scrutiny of issues such as the purchase of drones and body-worn cameras. In addition, we agreed a legacy report, which reflected a range of scrutiny that has taken place since 2016. Further information on those meetings will be available in the relevant Official Reports. Finally, the sub-committee recently agreed a draft report on the scrutiny of Police Scotland’s use of remotely piloted aircraft systems and body-worn cameras. That will be of great interest to members, not least in relation to the proposed proliferation and use of such equipment, and the implications of those. The report will be published later this week. I am happy to take questions.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Con
Our next agenda item is feedback from the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing, which recently held meetings on 1 and 15 March, on Brexit issues and with the ne...
John Finnie
Green
I will be brief. As ever, I will be happy to take questions. As you have said, convener, on 1 March the sub-committee took evidence from Deputy Chief Consta...
The Convener
Con
Thank you very much, John. No member has indicated that they have questions. I wish to thank John Finnie, both formally and personally, for his outstanding ...
John Finnie
Green
Many thanks.
Liam McArthur
LD
I do not know whether John wanted to come back in there, but I know that we are about to move into private session. Convener, in the absence of Rona Mackay, ...
The Convener
Con
It is very kind of you to say so, Liam. Thank you very much. I also want to put on record my tribute to Margaret Mitchell, who has been deputy convener of t...