The importance of the allegation being made against Police Scotland chief constable Phil Gormley is in some ways not the complaint itself of bullying behaviour towards a colleague.
Such matters between senior officers are not meant to be resolved by shouting matches. Despite what TV crime series might lead their viewers to believe, differences of opinion within the police are not handled through angry confrontations and public dressings down.
Instead, police chiefs are – or are meant to be – highly skilled managers of people, clear thinkers and strategists, operating with grace under pressure.
So the real concern raised by the claim against Mr Gormley is in the suggestion that he lost his cool in a role in which coping with stressful situations is paramount. If proven, the allegations against him would raise worrying questions about his character and whether he was cut out for the undoubted strains of his post. The investigation of the claims against Mr Gormley must be allowed to run its course. Should he stand down or face suspension? While apparently not major, the issues raised are nevertheless serious. It is Police Scotland itself that has classed them as amounting to gross misconduct, if proven.
On balance, there does not seem to be a case for Mr Gormley stepping down. A police officer would normally only be suspended if under investigation for a criminal act. And yet, the claims made relate to a colleague with whom he would have had daily contact. That colleagues is not at present in the same office.
The Scottish Police Authority accepts, as do we, that Mr Gormley will not interfere with the investigation. However the situation cannot make the day-to-day task of running the national police force any easier.
If, indeed, Mr Gormley is struggling to cope with the pressures of the role, this might add to them. Could he decide he has simply had enough and walk away? That would leave a worrying vacuum at the head of the national force, given that Iain Livingstone – Mr Gormley’s deputy and thought to have been a likely successor – is to leave policing altogether.
At the same time the Scottish Police Authority lacks a full-time chairman or woman. This situation is the last thing Police Scotland needs.
The Herald has argued the case for a single force on these pages. This was the right step but the organisation has appeared beset by problems.
In many ways this might be an unfair perception. There were bigger scandals relating to its predecessor forces. Yet, with a national force, transparency and accountability mean every problem is highlighted and rapidly politicised.
There are many pressing issues and the budget pressures it faces dwarf all others. The force needs a period of stability, which Mr Gormley was meant to provide. Regardless of the outcome of this matter, the situation needs to be resolved promptly.
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