Control of Scotland's leading crimefighting agency will have to be taken away from the all-embracing agency that swallowed it up only 18 months ago, according to its board members.

Control of Scotland's leading crimefighting agency will have to be taken away from the all-embracing agency that swallowed it up only 18 months ago, according to its board members.

A meeting of the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) board this month officially acknowledged that action has to be taken to distance itself from the national agency that tackles serious and organised crime.

The move is expected to put serious pressure on Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, to amend controversial legislation enacted less than two years ago.

The SPSA was established under the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006, to produce efficiency savings by centralising the provision and procurement of training, IT and forensic services. It also maintains the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), the country's leading crimefighting unit.

However, questions have been raised about the interpretation of the legislation following the departure of Graeme Pearson, the former head of the SCDEA, and a number of other high-profile members of staff after complaints by politicians that the agency's autonomy had been compromised by the new authority.

At the most recent meeting of the board, members agreed that change is required to differentiate the authority from the board. To do this would require an amendment to the 2006 act. In the meantime, the board agreed a compromise in which it sits in the morning to deal with SCDEA matters and separately in the afternoon to consider the other aspects of the authority.

Earlier this year, The Herald revealed that the SPSA, which was supposed to create savings, has already been forced to pay more than £1.8m in VAT to the Treasury, raising consternation among senior officers and police boards.

Under Section 33 of the 1994 VAT Act, local authorities and police boards do not pay VAT on most purchases. The previous executive was warned in 2005 that the authority's status as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) would mean it was not VAT exempt but went ahead regardless.

Concerns have also been raised in the delays to a planned super-campus for the agency at Gartcosh.

Richard Baker, Labour Justice spokesman, said: "It appears the SPSA is an organisation that is in trouble. Our elite crime fighters deserve their new home at Gartcosh but, under the SNP, that project has stalled and it's no surprise that some people want to see the SPSA and SCDEA split.

"Kenny MacAskill needs to find out what's gone wrong and get a grip on this issue. The future of policing in Scotland is at stake and there is no room for complacency."

Bill Aitken, Tory justice spokesman, said action must be taken to restore the autonomy of the agency.

"The Justice Minister really must act in order that the SCDEA has total autonomy," he said. "We have already lost one director and allowing them to make headway with a number of issues is critical to combating organised crime."

Interim SPSA convener George Kay said: "It is our job to ensure we work within the terms of the legislation currently in place to ensure there are effective scrutiny and accountability arrangements in place for the SCDEA - as well as for the support services that constitute the core business of SPSA.

"We recognise there is a continuing debate about whether the current arrangements are right for the agency - but also right for police support services. It is an issue we keep under regular review and discussion.

"We believe it is right to inform that debate, and to see whether we can find a consensus with policing and the Scottish Government on how our current structure might evolve in the medium to long-term - alongside a wider consideration of the country's future policing needs."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The current arrangements have been in place just since April 2007. The legislation establishing them was passed with all party support. We have no plans to propose any changes."