Chief Constable confirms jobs are staying in Highlands

Highland Council Leader Margaret Davidson met with the Chief Constable to discuss conc**erns about the closure and the new National Database Enquiry Unit to be based in Inverness and Govan. **

Margaret Davidson spoke to MFR News about the control room closure, she said:

"It could have taken place in the North. We could have had one of those modernised, heavily invested in, call centres here and that would have been extremely welcome. It would have dispersed jobs more across Scotland. But they haven't chosen to do that.

"It looks as if it is moving in September rather than August because there was some extra training requested by the local commander."

"There will be no job losses... should they choose to leave we will be advertising those jobs locally"

Police Scotland's Chief Constable Phil Gormley reassured the Highland Council that jobs are safe as the Control Room is set to close within the next month.

Chief Constable Phil Gormley said:

"All the staff that are currently working in the Control Room environment will have the opportunity to remain. There will be no job losses for those individuals, but should they choose to leave we will be advertising those jobs locally.

"These new arrangements we made to put 16 police officers back onto the streets of Highland. So an inspector, five sergeants and nine constables who are presently involved in the control room will now be able to go back and be operational, and be deployed by the divisional commander which is where police officers should be."

The new Police National Database Enquiry Unit is to be based in Inverness and Govan and will employ Inverness control room staff to prevent job losses.