No talent? A fair few eyebrows have been raised in recent days at the idea that there is nobody good enough to step in to the shows of the likes of Phil Gormley or his deputy Iain Livingstone.

Police Scotland is, by a long way, the second largest force in Britain and can command law enforcement resources bigger than those of several mid-sized independent states.

So there is no shortage of men and women of skill and experience in its own ranks - though for some of them the chance to lead may now come sooner than they thought.

Equally being a Scottish chief officer is a high-prestige job which, despite the country's 'goldfish bowl' media scrutiny and brutal post-indyref politics, will lure the ambitious from outside the country.

Mr Livingstone would have been seen as a shoe-in to replace Mr Gormley next year. There has been speculation that the two other deputy chief constables. Johnny Gwynne and Rose Fitzpatrick are coming to the end of their careers. But there is no reason why that has to be the case.

Mr Gwynne must rank as a favourite if he is interested. He currently leads Scotland's fight with serious and organised crime and terrorism and has served at Special Branch, the UK's National Crime Agency and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

But he has also served in HQ jobs and ran uniformed services in Paisley after walking his first beat 32 years ago at Northern Ireland's RUC.

Ms Fitzpatrick, with a long history in high-pressure London policing, has now served her 30 years. Astonishingly, Ms Fitzpatrick also is currently the only female chief officer in Scotland.

Assistant chief constables Bernie Higgins and Malcolm Graham are also whispered about as contenders for promotion, possibly as a team. So too is Derek Penman, HM inspector of Constabulary, and his predecessor, Bill Skelly, now Lincolnshire chief. Northern Ireland's George Hamilton, formerly of Strathclyde, may also be a runner.

So talent there is. But does the talent want the job?