Scotland’s new police chief has vowed to stamp out the target culture which plagued the force in its infancy.
Officers have complained that setting arbitrary levels for stop and search prevents them doing their jobs properly.
Police Scotland has insisted it does not set targets, a claim rubbished by the Police Federation and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents.
Phil Gormley pledged to stamp out internal numbers games as he outlined his vision for his time as Chief Constable.
He said his key priorities are:Building a sustainable financial model from the current cash crisis. Improving performance and culture by upping staff morale. Allowing local divisions to police according to local needs. “Protecting the vulnerable” by clamping down on organised crime.He said: “I’m not a fan of targets but I am a fan of really good policing. We need to get beyond, if there is one, a target culture and think about how do we actually improve policing delivery.
“I will be going out to every division, talking to staff, talking to the local command team, talking to local communities as far as you can in a country as large as Scotland to try and test that analysis and help form how we shape the service over the next five to 10 years.”
But Mr Gormley will press on with controversial control room closures, insisting “the strategic direction is right” despite concerns about staffing and losing local knowledge.
The former deputy director of the National Crime Agency also insisted he was confident he would balance the budget despite a £25 million overspend.
And he hinted a shake-up of staffing could be on the cards to change the way the force operates, including on the Scottish Government target of officer numbers being a minimum of 17,234.
He said: “I don’t want to get drawn into a specific conversation about numbers but I think in the next five to 10 years, the sorts of demands policing across the whole of the UK will face will require people and investments in new technology.”
Mr Gormley also pledged to “learn and take recommendations with humility” when asked about the scandals which have hit the force since its inception, including the deaths by the M9 of Lamara Bell and John Yuill as well as Sheku Bayoh’s death in police custody.A welcome sign of transparency let’s hope it lastsPhil Gormley had been in post for just 16 hours when he sat down to answer questions from reporters, writes Kieran Andrews.
It was a point he made on multiple occasions and was a good get out of jail free card for detailed inquiries, if required.
But more importantly, it was an important symbolic shift for Police Scotland.
On his second day in the job, the new chief constable made himself available and was as open as you would realistically expect him to be.
That is already once more than Sir Stephen House managed during his three years in charge.
The important point here is not to massage journalists’ egos, but rather to show willing to be open and transparent with the public.
Much of the perception problem with Police Scotland has been down to an attack-dog-like attitude towards anyone who dares ask a question and a bunker mentality when legitimate criticisms are made.
Sensible discussions and talking issues through never seemed like they were an option.
Hopefully this signals a change in attitude along with a change in chief constable.
Mr Gormley will not have his troubles to seek over his first few months in office.
A £25 million financial black hole which must be filled, while reports into both Sheku Bayoh’s death in custody and how John Yuill and Lamara Bell lay dead and dying for three days by the side of the M9 are to be published by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
Crucially, the ex- Norfolk Chief Constable pledged that he would “learn and take recommendations with humility”.
The right noises are being made about how to deal with major issues, although he does have the advantage of the blame largely being attached to his predecessor.
The mood music emanating for Police Scotland’s Tulliallan College is most certainly welcome.
Let’s just hope the new chief constable’s actions match his warm words.