COASTGUARDS are losing vital local knowledge amid a botched reorganisation of the emergency service that has damaged morale and safety in Scotland and other parts of the UK.
COASTGUARDS are losing vital local knowledge amid a botched reorganisation of the emergency service that has damaged morale and safety in Scotland and other parts of the UK.
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DAMIEN HENDERSON Transport Correspondent
A report by MPs highlighted a doubling of the vacancy rate at the Coastguard Service in two years, "creating a risk that talent and expertise will haemorrhage" as staff left.
Procedures put in place to ensure knowledge of the coastline did not disappear when the Forth Coastguard station closed in September had not been effective, with the transfer of responsibilities to stations in Aberdeen and Shetland rushed and poorly planned, it was claimed.
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