Jobs fears grow as cops’ media office is axed

FEARS have been voiced that more police civilian jobs could be lost on Inverness "forever" when Northern Constabulary is swallowed up by the incoming Scottish police service after it emerged its communications department is to be scrapped.

The force is entering its final throes before it is axed in April to make way for the controversial national set-up, which will cut the number of backroom police staff across Scotland in a bid to save millions of pounds.

Northern Constabulary’s award-winning media department, based at the force’s headquarters on Old Perth Road, is set to close and three "communication hubs" created in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh instead.

The development has set alarm bells ringing amongst local politicians who have warned efforts must be stepped up in the next three months to retain as many staff and departments in the city as possible.

Four staff currently work in the busy office, handling daily media enquiries, liaising with police officers and the press during major incidents such as murders and missing person inquiries and running the force’s social media initiatives.

Northern Constabulary employs 395 civilian staff and Chief Superintendent Julian Innes said before Christmas there would be no compulsory redundancies. Voluntary severance packages have been offered to staff. The closing date for these is next week.

A spokesman for the new Scottish police service said any changes on April would be "minimal" but would be phased in afterwards.

It is understood other departments in the force are also under serious threat of being relocated.

Regional MSPs Mary Scanlon and David Stewart are worried it is the first indication that police staff jobs are being lost to the Highlands.

"A single police force is not to be a complete centralisation in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Aberdeen," said Conservative MSP Mrs Scanlon. "If the media office is to be centralised in Aberdeen some other services could be transferred to Inverness. The jobs should not be a one-way transfer.

"If we are not strong in negotiating and getting jobs at this time they are going to be lost forever. The next three months will be critical."

Mr Stewart backed the national police force but said there had to be an element of decentralisation.

"I am very concerned that there could be no hubs in our area and a lack of civilian posts," said the Labour MSP, who suggested accounting, IT or human resource staff could be retained locally and serve the national force.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats were the only party to oppose the Scottish Government’s plans and former Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MSP Jamie Stone said he knew through "bitter experience" that centralisation only went one-way.

"If the police are to be most effective and if the police are to retain the most trust then communications are crucial," said Mr Stone, now a Highland councillor. "Simply making the press office further away will be entirely counter-productive. It wouldn’t be beyond the wit of man to try and retain a local presence."

Hamish Fraser, vice-convener of the Northern Joint Police Board, said it was very "worrying".

"Everything could be going further and further away and it might just be the start of major issues for us if everything is centralised to these three hubs," said Councillor Fraser. "This is an early stage and is something that is not expected, how much more are they going to centralise?"

Meanwhile, the police board’s convener, Councillor Norman MacLeod, last week criticised the absence of any Highland police officers among the top brass in the national force after the senior appointments were made.