"The head of Scotland's Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency has called for Scotland's eight police forces to be merged into one national police service.The controversial move is likely to anger the majority of the country's chief constables who have stated publicly forces should not be amalgamated. Earlier this year Tom McCabe, the Finance Minister, questioned whether Scotland is best served by eight forces as part of the ongoing Scottish Executive review of public services.
Tom Buchan, former president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, called for a move to three or four police forces rather than the current eight in May.
Speaking for the first time about the issue Graeme Pearson, director of the SCDEA, said he believes one force, headed by a single commissioner or chief constable, would provide an improved service to the public."
For a start, this would mean that seven chief constables lost their jobs. And more efficiencies would follow as eight sets of headquarter functions were merged into one. And just because the Met is able to exercise its functions over a population considerably in excess of that in Scotland, this should not mean that it is an example to be followed. I mean, think of the loss of local accountability whereby police are responsible to their local authority paymasters (for all sorts of things but not for operational matters). And since when was improved service to the public a criterion to be weighed in determining the shape of public sector infrastructure?
No, no, no; there is no place for such radical thinking in this best small country in the world.
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