I'm pleased that the Scottish Liberal Democrats are opposing the SNP Government's proposal to convene a national police board and their 'one-size-fits-all' approach to Scottish policing. Help us to keep our police forces local.
Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, spoke out against the SNP plans, “The national body proposed by the SNP Government is to be chaired by the Government. While we await full details of how it is intended to operate, it is clear that the Government have in mind that there should be a single national view on policing and that the local police boards will either become redundant or be abolished.”
In challenging the First Minister about the plans, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Tavish Scott MSP said, “This is a slippery slope to one police force. For 150 years people in this democracy have worried about the government gaining political operational control over policing. The First Minister refuses to see that a National Police Board, appointed without debate in this Parliament - and with no basis in law - moves us down that dangerous road.”
“We need a police service that is responsive to local needs not subject to central diktat and centrally imposed targets.”
You can sign the LibDem petition on this important matter by clicking on the headline above.