A ROW about centralised control has erupted between Scotland's new policing authority and a local board, with one politician claiming it is eroding the "winning formula" in one region.
The head of the police transition committee at Fife has written to the chairman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which is responsible for holding the new national force to account, to express "shock and disappointment" at moves to end their local oversight of police complaints.
The move, which has fuelled concerns of growing antipathy between the local and national approach, follows criticism of a Glasgow-centric approach under the new national structure. Following the raids on Edinburgh's saunas in June, Independent MSP Margo MacDonald criticised the "heavy-handed" Glasgow approach to prostitution in the capital.
The Fife committee has also complained about "central" decisions to cut their chief inspectors from seven to three and warned it could impact on performance.
The police board in Fife traditionally checked some complaints about local police to ensure they had been appropriately handled. Earlier this month they say the local commander was told by the Authority to stop providing them with such information.
Councillor Gavin Yates, Fife's police committee chairman, said: "It is clear, looking at the crime figures, we have a winning formula in Fife that is being eroded by centralised control being driven by Government cuts. What this says to me is the financial squeeze placed on Police Scotland by the Scottish Government is really starting to bite and our communities will now pay for that.
"The decision of the SPA to remove dip sampling of police complaints is a hugely backward step and flies in the face of the commitment of the Government to make policing 'more accountable'.
"Kenny MacAskill should tell the SPA they have got this one wrong and allow local authorities to have full sight of police complaints to offer the public some confidence that nothing is brushed under the carpet."
The Police And Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 specifies the local commander "must" provide to a local authority: reports on policing in the area; statistical information on complaints; and other information about policing "as the local authority may reasonably require".
Before the eight forces were amalgamated into one in April there were eight police boards responsible for holding forces to account. Now every local authority has a different and often less formal structure in place to work with local commanders.
Ian Ross, chairman of the Scottish Police Authority's Complaints and Conduct Committee, said: "We have had discussions with Police Scotland over the implications for legacy procedures on the area of complaints because as the new legislation does not give a formal right of access to local scrutiny bodies to the files of closed complaints cases.
"That clearly means there must be a different approach in future to the procedures local elected members might have been used to in the past.
"As part of the SPA's new role in scrutinising police complaints, we will be reviewing a number of statistical reports and information provided by Police Scotland on complaints, including details of local complaints cases.
"However, we do not rule out a future role for local scrutiny bodies in further scrutiny of local complaints, provided we can ensure confidentiality, propriety, and consistency with the Act and other relevant legislation.
"We acknowledge the SPA has a responsibility to support local scrutiny arrangements and to work together with local partners to make these new arrangements as effective as we can.
"I have offered to meet Councillor Yates on this issue, and to develop a way forward that fulfils our shared objective of enhancing the scrutiny of policing."
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