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Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s ‘in-tray’: The storm clouds on the horizon - Policing Insight
Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s ‘in-tray’:
The storm clouds on the horizon
OPEN
11th July 2023Martin Gallagher, former Police Scotland Superintendent
Durham Chief Constable Jo Farrell was recently announced as the successor to Sir Iain
Livingstone, Chief Constable of Police Scotland, who retires next month; former Police
Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now an Associate of the London Policing
College, looks at the challenges that will await CC Farrell when she takes up her new post.
Current Durham Chief Constable Jo Farrell will head up the second biggest (and
geographically largest) force in the UK from next month, when she takes over the reins of
Police Scotland from Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone, who is due to retire.
It would be very nice for her to be joining a steady ship, the course for which she could
determine on her own. Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case, and she could soon
be entering some very choppy waters.
So what are some of the main squalls she can expect to be navigating through from day one?
First off (and as with many forces), a key issue will be the financial position.
Police Scotland was created to produce efficiency, but many would argue that in reality it was
a political project favoured by few in policing, with the main aim of saving money.
And save money it did, with total savings of £1.9 billion projected to have been achieved by
2028. Until last year officer numbers were maintained, in contrast to the situation in England
and Wales over the same period (which Scottish National Party (SNP) Government ministers
were only too keen to point to, including then Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf).
However, the narrative has since changed; officer numbers are no longer sacrosanct, and in
real terms the budget became very squeezed, leading inevitably to tension between Sir Iain
and the SNP Government, something that is now being played out in the full glare of the
media.
With no money to pay for more officers, CC Farrell looks set to have a fight with the
Government on her hands before she has arrived.
Operation Branchform
While politicians regularly voice their support for the operational independence of the police,
recent events involving the former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, her husband (and
Ex-SNP Chief Executive) Peter Murrell, and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie as part of
the Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform investigation into missing funds have no doubt
led to tensions between the party and the police.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s ‘in-tray’: The storm clouds on the horizon - Policing Insight
The recent decision of First Minister Humza Yousaf and his SNP colleagues to send flowers
from the party to Nicola Sturgeon following her arrest may well indicate where their
sympathies truly lie in this matter, notwithstanding the so far unaccounted for £600,000.
A report is likely to be making its way to the Crown Office for consideration in respect of
Operation Branchform in due course. CC Farrell will have its aftermath to contend with,
either with a no case to answer for some or all, or with the issue of indictments; either way, a
media frenzy awaits her.
In addition, what position she takes on the ongoing role of the Lord Advocate being the chief
legal advisor to the Scottish Government while also overseeing prosecution reports her
officers submit will be intriguing.
Officers will be looking to the Chief Constable to take a public position on this matter, and it
will be a test of her moral courage. No one else in the upper echelons of Scottish public life
seems keen to grab the nettle. Will she?
Institutional discrimination
We then come to what many have regarded as Sir Iain’s parting gift of a poisoned chalice to
his successor – his statement that the force is institutionally discriminatory (while, despite
leading or being the deputy leader for 10 years, taking no personal responsibility for this
situation nor holding anyone accountable for it).
Those of you who have read my previous work in this area will know I am very sceptical of
the whole concept of discrimination without responsibility. I think it is actually an abdication
of leadership, and one I am very sad to see the force having taken.
That said, we are where we are, and someone has to do something about clearing up the
situation that has developed where officers are being at spat at on the street and being
repeatedly called ‘racists’.
The nuance of frontline officers not being responsible that was issued in the statement seems
to have escaped individuals who are shouting at football teams officers play in off-duty,
“don’t pass to the racist”. For me, this issue is a wholesale failure of command responsibility,
and one CC Farrell has to get a hold of quickly.
Retirals
And the officers who have the experience, sense and wherewithal to help? Well many of
them are heading for the lifeboats.
The removal of the commutation cap from pensions in Scotland (without the approval of the
Chief Constable, and no doubt a tactic employed by the SNP Government to reduce
headcount) has seen a number of the most experienced officers in the country take an early
departure from the organisation.
Come October – when, rather than being allocated their pension in two tranches as has been
the case until now, officers will be able to take their entire sum – there will likely be a
tsunami of the over 50s going.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s ‘in-tray’: The storm clouds on the horizon - Policing Insight
This will then continue for some time, with retirals far outstripping the norm as officers hit
the age of 50 rather than the previously sacrosanct (but now meaningless) 30 years’ service.
Until now there has been absolutely no effort made by the organisation to persuade these
potential leavers to stay. None. So it’s one for CC Farrell to consider, and decide on quickly
before many more holiday cruises are booked by those entering their ‘Saga’ years.
Divisional structures
Looking at the force CC Farrell inherits, despite one divisional merge in the north-east in its
early days (which was easy, as the two divisions in question constituted the old Grampian
Police), the organisation looks pretty much as it did when formed in 2013.
It is questionable whether it was fit for purpose then; but it certainly isn’t now. Population
changes were not factored into the model adopted, nor really was demand. The status quo of
old force boundaries and approaches was largely the key factor.
Some areas are currently on their knees. None are ‘healthy’ with officers according to the
press… well, none of the territorial divisions are. What has largely been untouched, as
divisions have had to gradually pull their frontline resource to backroom public protection
functions, is the force’s Specialist Crime Division.
The success of this Division is highlighted in the fact that during the force’s existence only
one murder remains unsolved. However, at what cost to the force as a whole?
Calls go unanswered, the public wait days for a service, and standards are no doubt falling.
Could there be rationalisation of the Specialist Crime Division while maintaining high
investigative standards? Certainly something that, after a decade, is one area for consideration
of a review.
There are officers in the Specialist Crime Division who have achieved three promotions
without leaving its hallowed halls, and have little grip on the reality of divisional policing that
they scrutinise and occasionally interact with.
A divide, a ‘them and us’, has certainly developed in the service and future relationships and
support will need to be considered.
Beardgate
The issue of beards may seem a storm in a tea cup compared to those I’ve outlined above.
Trust me, it isn’t. It plays into the relationship between the force Executive and the Scottish
Police Federation, which can only be described currently as ‘tense’.
The force appears to be adopting a clean shaven policy, for reasons of ‘safety’, a policy that
exists nowhere else in the UK.
Following significant issues over alleged misconduct raised by the force in respect of the use
of social media by his predecessor (the wisdom of which I seriously question), the new
bearded incumbent in the General Secretary post has come to the fore in this fight, an issue
with which the force seems to be at odds with its own guidance.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s ‘in-tray’: The storm clouds on the horizon - Policing Insight
The issue has actually led a number of officers to become incredibly stressed, and one I know
has resigned. For him it was about his identity as an individual, and one aspect of his life he
could control the job were trying to take away. I get this. I hope CC Farrell does.
The force now appears to have postponed the proposed beard ban to allow consultations
with officers and the staff associations; an early gesture that beards are okay might go a long
way to building bridges over troubled waters.
The future
As a citizen of Scotland I hope for calmer and more placid waters ahead for CC Farrell and
wish her all the best with the above, none of which are situations of her own making. I hope
she can surround herself with a trusting executive team who will be honest with her and
provide her the support she needs.
Maybe, we can get through these times and look at systemic issues such as the drugs that are
awash in Scottish communities (while we pretend crime is down), and the evil of
sectarianism that still flows like a poison (although unacknowledged by many) through
Scottish society. I hope so. I really do.