‘Difficult’ weekend for cops on the street after chief called force racist

POLICE officers face a ‘difficult’ weekend patrolling Scotland’s streets after their outgoing chief constable accused the force of being racist.

The chairman of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) hit out after Sir Iain Livingstone said the service is ‘institutionally racist and discriminatory’.

As Sir Iain admitted he could have raised the issue earlier in his career, instead of just weeks before he retires, rank and file officers warned the public would now see them as racist, making their job harder.

Yesterday Sir Iain attempted to clarify his comments, saying he had been referring to the institution, not individuals.

But SPF chairman David Threadgold said: ‘I believe that the role of police officers now in the communities will have been made more difficult by the comments of the chief constable.

‘When they are out patrolling the streets around Scotland this weekend, members of the public will see them, they will make the link to the fact the chief constable has said that we as an organisation are institutionally racist, and that will make our job more difficult.’

Sir Iain made the comment to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) board on Thursday. He said: ‘Police Scotland is institutionally racist and discriminatory.’

Yesterday, he said: ‘Could I have done this earlier? Could I have myself got to this position of accepting and recognising institutional discrimination?

‘Well perhaps, perhaps I could have, and I accept that.’

Moi Ali, a former SPA board member, said the issue was highlighted as far back as the Macpherson Inquiry into the Met’s handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder.

She added: ‘I’m just wondering why it took until the next century for the chief constable, within spitting distance of collecting a very handsome police pension, to mention this when he has presided either in the top or second-top position over Police Scotland since its inception.’

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Sir Iain’s remarks ‘blew me away’, adding: ‘I’ve campaigned on racism and prejudice and hate for a number of years, and actually to hear that very bold intervention from the chief constable, I think is a game-changer in Scotland.’

Speaking during a visit to Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, yesterday, UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Responsibility lies with the Scottish parliament in relation to oversight, and I think there are now questions for them as to why it’s got to this stage and why this wasn’t dealt with earlier on.’