CAMPAIGNERS claim Police Scotland had a “major influence” over the SNP Government’s refusal to order a Hillsborough-style probe into the miners’ strike, following revelations that civil servants consulted senior officers about the issue.

Senior Scottish Government civil servants approached Police Scotland in 2015 about calls at Holyrood for a public inquiry into the policing of the 1984-85 dispute, according to documents obtained by the Sunday Herald.

Ministers repeatedly rejected calls for a review of the convictions of nearly 500 Scottish miners during the strike, which campaigners say were politically motivated and are unsafe, particularly for picket line offences.

However, emails released under Freedom of Information laws show that at the height of the campaign – the 30th anniversary of the end of the strike– government officials wrote to Police Scotland, stating that a ministerial permanent secretary wanted a briefing on the issue.

The civil service asked whether the police had any records of cases of alleged wrongful arrest and misconduct that the Government should be aware of.

Police Scotland, in its official response, said “no specific allegations” have been made about the misconduct of officers during the year-long strike over pit closures.

The emails released under Freedom of Information (FoI) sparked claims that the government's decision to refuse an inquiry in Scotland was influenced by Police Scotland – the merged forced launched in 2013.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay claimed the police did not have an objective view about the dispute given their role in the policing of picket lines where many arrests were made.

Findlay, who first raised the issue at Holyrood with ministers in early 2013, also said former miners and their union had not been consulted in the same way as the police.

"In asking the police for its opinion," he said "it's hardly surprising that one of the key organisations involved in the dispute seeks to wash its hands of any spotlight being shone on its activities.

"It appears from these papers that the police have had a major influence over whether or not an inquiry takes place in Scotland. I’m sure the miners and the National Union of Mineworkers did not have that same courtesy afforded to them."

The FoI papers include a heavily redacted email from the Scottish Government to the office of Police Scotland's then Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson, that was also forwarded to a superintendent, whose name was blacked out.

The email, dated March 4, 2015, stated: "It is the 30th anniversary of the miners' strike ending and there has has been some parliamentary and media interest in this, including calls for an inquiry into the policing of the strike in Scotland.

"We have been asked to provide some briefing to our permanent secretary and need some information if you have it.

"Our lines have been that we have have no plans for an inquiry and the proper route is to refer complaints about the police to the chief constable or for allegations of wrongdoing to the Scottish criminal cases review commission. "

It added: "Do you hold any records or information on whether any actual cases alleging wrongful arrest or police conduct during the miners's strike have been raised with the current chief constable or legacy chief constables – the campaign has been running for a couple of years now."

It goes on to ask for "any indication about when you will be in a position to respond so I can feed that back to those briefing the permanent secretary?"

A day later, ?arch 5, Richardson's office responded stating: "To date no specific allegation has been made to the Police Service of Scotland in relation to specific allegations of officers' conduct during the aforementioned industrial dispute."

Last night, a Scottish Government spokesperson insisted Ministers had only contacted Police Scotland to seek factual information rather than the opinion of officers.

The Scottish Government spokesperson said: “At no time has the Scottish Government asked Police Scotland for an opinion on whether an Inquiry was merited, which is of course a decision for Scottish Ministers.

"A request was made for factual information."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "This is a matter for the Scottish Government to respond to."

The revelations about the dispute in Scotland came after newly declassified documents, released last week to the National Archive, show that in 1985 former Home Secretary Leon Brittan feared a “witch hunt” if a public inquiry was held into the policing of the strike.

MSP Findlay had lodged a fresh motion on the issue at Holyrood which calls on justice secretary Michael Matheson to order an inquiry into the strike in Scotland.Matheson met former miners and campaigners in December, when he agreed to "reflect" on their calls for an inquiry.