Police who needed to breathalyse an alleged drink driver urgently following a road accident on Tiree night had to use a helicopter to get to him.
The local policeman, who also covers the neighbouring island of Coll, was away on holiday and the officers on the nearest island had no way of getting there.
They could have taken a CalMac ferry. However, the next sailing to Coll and Tiree, which was due to leave at 9am, would have taken four hours.
A call went out to the Air Support Unit at the City Heliport, beside the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, before officers were flown to Tiree, with a 770 population.
A 41-year-old man was arrested after the incident on Saturday night, near Cornaig-more on the north-west of the island, and a report was submitted to the procurator fiscal
The island's SNP councillor, Fred Hall, a former Strathclyde chief inspector, has written to Strathclyde Police Authority convener Philip Braat, asking for a report on police staffing levels to go before the next meeting.
He said: "In the past a relief constable or two were sent on to the island to provide policing cover when the resident island officer was on leave.
"I am concerned as to why on this occasion a relief officer was not sent to the island to cover for the resident officer's absence, why not?
"The Strathclyde police officer establishment is currently 8125, the highest it has ever been – in 1974 the force's establishment was just over 6000 – surely they could have found a relief officer from a territorial division or support services?
"The force, in the past, with at least 500 fewer officers managed to provide relief officers."
A spokesman for Strathclyde Police insisted that there are several officers available to cover Tiree when the resident officer is away on annual leave or absent.
She said contingencies were in place for deploying officers on the island outwith normal working hours.
"These were put in place on Saturday when the helicopter airlifted two officers onto the island to manage a drink driver allegation."
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