The father of Shirley McKie, the former policewoman accused of leaving her fingerprint at a murder scene, yesterday joined senior police in calling for a review and reorganisation of Scottish policing.
The father of Shirley McKie, the former policewoman accused of leaving her fingerprint at a murder scene, yesterday joined senior police in calling for a review and reorganisation of Scottish policing.
Retired officer Iain McKie, whose daughter was charged with perjury but acquitted following the evidence of another fingerprint expert and later awarded £750,000 in settlement after a civil damages claim against Scottish ministers, called for the organisation of the eight forces and their support authority to be looked at.
His calls follow those of Paddy Tomkins, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, and others for a public debate on the future of Scotland's police service to see whether it should be led by one or eight forces.
In a letter to The Herald, he wrote: "The way to resolve this, constitutional time bomb', is not by applying the standard first aid favoured by governments and organisations under pressure.
"The time is long overdue for a commission into the whole operation of the Scottish justice system, policing, prosecution, courts, forensic services, legal profession and organisations like the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which some argue are no longer fit for purpose."
