New Chief Constable vows to build ‘more devolved’ policing service five years after formation of single force

Iain Livingstone

Iain Livingstone, who took up the post of Chief Constable on Monday, said the force “had not always engaged with communities sufficiently”.

Mr Livingstone was interim head of the national force after Philip Gormley quit his post in February while he was under investigation.

Police Scotland has been involved in various controversies since its formation but Mr Livingstone said that it had “come through a challenging period with renewed purpose”.

He said: “I acknowledge that we didn’t get everything right at the outset of Police Scotland.

“The need to maintain an operational grip on policing meant that sometimes we moved too quickly, we didn’t engage with our communities sufficiently.

“We were seen to impose national policies on local areas. Consistency and compliance came before local diversity.”

He added: “That approach has brought benefits. For example, we can now say with certainty that every homicide in Scotland is dealt with to the highest possible standard.

“Every domestic abuse case is treated in the same way regardless of where the victim lives.

“But I know that it’s not one size fits all. It’s my intention to build a more devolved policing service that better meets the needs of local communities.”