Police Scotland head suggests re-empowering regional commanders

Phil Gormley conceded that some good practices of local forces had been “lost in transition” but added he would “release the thinking” of the single force’s chief inspectors and superintendents, The Herald reports.

His comments come in the wake of criticism, especially from the north and north-east of the “Strathclydisation” of Scotland’s police.

And Mr Gormley admitted that he was surprised by the regional diversity in Scotland since he took on the role eight months ago.

He said: “It may sound naive, but genuinely the variety of the policing environment and the level of self-sufficiency in those communities was a learning experience. Some of the views of the people in Orkney is that Edinburgh is about as relevant as Westminster.

“We need to understand and build community policing that resonates in those communities.

“Some of the capabilities we have are world class, such as national murder investigations, and they were some of the attractions of this job for me.

“There has been a fairly tight central control over that. The challenge over the next few years is to understand what we need to retain a very tight grip on centrally but also how to allow local police officers, staff and commanders, who understand what is going on in their communities to develop.

“I have been told that officers feel in certain parts of the country that the local good practice – the innovation that was relevant for where they live – has got lost in some of the transition.”

However, central control on issues such as murder investigations and counter-terrorism is “non-negotiable”, Mr Gormley said.

Local policing, on the other hand, could be left to local commanders.

The Chief Constable added: “We need to develop an approach where their driving motivation is to do the right thing.

“I want officers to use their discretion and connect with the sense of vocation that made the vast majority of them join.”