Matheson says Police Scotland doesn't rely on one individual

Scotland's police force does not rely on one individual'' Holyrood's Justice Secretary declared after it emerged the country's top officer is on a period ofspecial leave'' while allegations of gross misconduct against him are investigated.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley announced on Friday he would be stepping aside while the complaints against him are investigated by the independent Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).

While Police Scotland will suffer a degree of uncertainty'' as a result of the investigations and Mr Gormley's absence, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said:The success of Police Scotland does not rely on one individual, but on a strong and experienced senior leadership team and on the professionalism and dedication of many thousands of police officers and staff at all levels.

Police Scotland, as the second biggest force in the UK, has a breadth and depth of experience that is almost unparalleled.''

Mr Matheson added he was pleased'' that Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has put his retirement plans on hold, and will now stay with the forcefor the foreseeable future''.

Mr Livingstone has assessed that Police Scotland has a strong and resilient command team in place who are supported by thousands of dedicated and hard-working police officers and staff who remain committed to providing an excellent service'', the Justice Secretary said

Mr Matheson stressed it would not be appropriate'' for him to comment on the specifics on the complaints while they are being examined.

But he told MSPs he did not foresee the situation having any immediate impact'' on controversial plans to merge the British Transport Police north of the border into Police Scotland

The proposed date for integration is April 2019 and I see it as very premature to suggest that there will be any impact on that timetable,'' he stated.

Meanwhile he added that the process of finding a new chair and chief executive for watchdogs at Scottish Police Authority was well underway'' with interviews for the new chair to take place in October.

Opposition politicians at Holyrood have been pressing to be involved in the selection process, and Mr Matheson said he had ordered officials to work with the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland to see if this could be achieved in line with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland.

I will be in touch with justice spokespeople within the next few days to discuss what might be possible within the framework of legislation and the Code,'' he said.

But he stressed: There will be no gap in SPA leadership. Recruitment is underway for both the chair and the chief executive, the Scottish Government and the SPA are working to clear timescales to make appointments and the current chair has agreed to remain in post until a successor is found.'