Police Scotland’s new chief constable, Jo Farrell, has acknowledged that the force has been guilty of institutional discrimination, endorsing a controversial statement made earlier this year by her predecessor, Sir Iain Livingstone. On her first day in the job, Farrell said she wants to drive forward “an anti-discriminatory agenda”. She added that she would prioritise “trust, confidence, high performance and officer and staff wellbeing”. In a statement, Farrell said: “Having considered Sir Iain’s reasons, I agree Police Scotland is institutionally discriminatory”. The statement by Livingstone in May attracted support, but was criticised by the Scottish Police Federation, which felt only a few faults should not tarnish the reputation of the wider force.
Farrell, formerly chief constable at Durham Constabulary, said that she would focus on national threat, harm, and risk, as well as on prevention and problem-solving. She faces immediate challenges, including budgetary constraints due to a smaller number of officers working larger workloads, a freeze on recruitment of civilian staff, and delayed recruitment of new officers. The force predicts officer numbers could fall to 16,200, the lowest since 2007, when the Scottish National Party took office. In January 2022, the arrival of 200 new recruits has been postponed.
The Scottish Government maintains that it gave policing a 6.3% increase for the current financial year, and that Scottish police per capita are paid more than their English and Welsh counterparts. Despite this and criticism from the SPF, the police force’s projected overspend remains at £19m.
Patrick Corrigan, the Head of Nations and Regions of Amnesty International UK, said the Chief Constable would have to take prompt action to address discrimination within the force. Justice Secretary Angela Constance also welcomed Farrell’s appointment, commenting: “I am sure we will forge a strong partnership, founded on a shared desire to continue the delivery of sustainable excellence within Scotland’s police service”
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