Buckie councillor raises police resource concerns over new Hate Crime legislation
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A BUCKIE councillor and public service specialist strategy advisor has raised serious concerns about new Hate Crime legislation now in force in Scotland.
Councillor Neil McLennan has been an elected member since 2022 and is an expert on public service leadership, his work recently published in an international research handbook on public leadership.
He said: "We have a serious issue in Scotland.
“Police resources are being cut to the bone and we can see statistics showing very poor detection rates in some reported crimes. The government are now adding more demands on policing and seem not to be following up with effective resourcing.”
Councillor Neil McLennan has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Angela Constance asking if the Scottish Government was planning to put in place resources to help Police Scotland deal with a number of demands related to the new legislation. He has also requested information as to what the government intend to do to help progress investigations into crimes such as fraud
He continued: "These are important questions as the date of enacting new legislation approaches.
“[Recently] Hate Crime laws took a further sinister turn when it was revealed at Murdo Fraser MSP's exercise of free speech was recorded as a 'hate incident'. It is becoming Emperor’s new clothes for the SNP, for when the laws are so clearly ill-thought out then there is little hope.
“Police need to be resourced to tackle the many anti-social behaviour concerns my constituents raise; break-ins and theft and the so so many fraud reports that remain unresolved in our area and beyond.
"Having public servants putting out communications from ‘the Hate Monster’ shows the utterly ridiculous levels we have got to in public governance and a focus on public safety. Following the impactful and effective ‘Is That Me?’ communications campaign to highlight domestic violence issues,
“Police and government have dropped standards to a cartoon character Hate Monster and their communications targeted a specific ethnic and age groups The whole thing raises all sorts of ethical and human rights questions."
"If only we could get back to 'bobbies of the beat', enough of them and them being able to police with respect and results. What we seem to be getting is a worrying politicisation of policing, as Murdo Fraser MSP's experience shows."
