Nationalisation of Scottish police and fire services inquiry launched

Holyrood's justice committee has called for views on the legislation which brought Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service into being, as it prepares to review how effective the move has been.

The national bodies replaced regional organisations in 2013, as part of an effort to improve services, but the new force has faced particular criticism since it was established.

Committee convener Margaret Mitchell MSP said: 'The last five years have been a period of unprecedented change in our fire and police services.

'While undoubtedly there are examples of resilience and partnership working, there have also been some problem areas identified since the mergers.

'In particular, the committee is keen to establish whether the issues faced by the services are to be expected as 'teething problems' or whether legislative changes are needed after five years.'

There had been eight regional police forces and eight regional fire brigades before the Scotland-wide mergers.

Police Scotland is currently looking for its third chief, while the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is on to its third chief and third chair.

The watchdog is among a number of other bodies created in 2013 by the new legislation.

Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, the interim Chief Constable, said: 'We need to move forward with a degree of humility, a commitment to openness and a greater willingness to engage with the people we serve so that they better understand how we police and why we take the decisions we need to take.'

Susan Deacon, chairwoman of the SPA added: `There is much still to be done to deliver the benefits of reform and many lessons to be learned along the way, so too is there a need to work both within policing and across the wider public sector to ensure that services work more collaboratively to meet changing needs and demands.'

The committee will scrutinise the Police and Fire Reform Act to see if there are parts which could be improved, as well as looking at areas where it is working well.

It is also planning to engage with the organisations created by the legislation, as well as those who closely interact with them.

Scottish Labour's justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: `The committee must assess how this turmoil has affected policing and public safety.

`The SNP Government must acknowledge these issues and their own mistakes to improve Police Scotland over the next five years, rather than the same old intransigence they have shown over the past five years.'

Despite criticism, national statistics published this week show crime in Scotland has fallen by around a third and 58% of respondents said police were doing a good or excellent job.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: `The single services have provided national specialist capabilities that would not have been possible in the past, allowing us to respond more effectively to the evolving challenges of keeping people safe in a modern Scotland.

`Ministers recognise that a change of such scale and significance as the formation of Police Scotland and the SFRS was always likely to present challenges but the independent evaluation of reform - published in February - is clear about the benefits we have seen delivered.'

Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman, said: 'Police Scotland's challenges have been well documented and, to be frank, after five years a lot of the teething issues should have been sorted out.

'That's not to say Scotland's police officers don't do a cracking job, but the SNP drove this merger through and has to take responsibility for the failings.

'The creation of a national fire service has not been without its problems.

'There are major reforms currently underway which offer a chance to reshape a service that will be fit for the future.

'However, there are legitimate concerns that must be addressed if the public are to have confidence that local communities will continue to be protected.'

Liam McArthur, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: 'Police and fire officers have been badly let down by the botched centralisation.

'This review will offer an opportunity to hear from those affected. Hopefully this will begin to resolve the mess that SNP ministers created.'