Police consultation

A POLICE Scotland advisor was left in no doubt what Shetland councillors think of the national force’s response to local concerns when he attended a meeting of the community safety and resilience board last week.

Dan Couldridge’s plea for the board to participate in a review of the police’s national priorities was dismissed as a “propaganda exercise” by committee vice-chairman and SIC councillor Allison Duncan.

Citing the examples of the closure of control rooms in Inverness and Aberdeen, Duncan said any engagement with this latest round of consultation would be a waste of time.

“We have very serious concerns here. What confidence can we have that we are being listened to?” he demanded.

But fellow councillors on the safety board, such as Jonathan Wills and chairman Alastair Cooper, said they would take justice secretary Michael Matheson at his word after he declared that local policing had to be appropriate to local circumstances.

Wills used the opportunity to again calling for a Shetland-based emergency services control room.

“I will take the consultation at face value and contribute to it,” he said.

More information about the Scottish strategic police priorities, including contact details can be found here.