Plans are afoot to increase custody provision at Perth Police Station.
The move will reduce the time spent by police officers travelling to Dundee and other primary custody centres outwith Perth and Kinross.
A police chief has told councillors the pilot will "hopefully" start at the beginning of April.
It was revealed during a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council's Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee on Wednesday, March 15.
The news comes following strong opposition to the downgrading of Perth Custody Suite. It was reclassified as an ancillary centre rather than a primary centre in 2021 as part of a criminal justice remodelling programme.
Perth Custody Centre was first stepped down in March 2020 because of the pandemic. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) spoke out against the move to downgrade it for the longer term in 2021 saying it was "motivated by money rather than service or standards".
The SPF raised concerns about:
- taking officers away from Perth and Kinross
- a risk to police officers and custodies spending increased time in police vans
- increasing the stress levels of prisoners who may need medical assistance if under the influence of drugs/alcohol
- criminal justice implications with evidential tests such as DNA, fingerprints and photos having to be done at the police station
- potentially deterring police officers from taking someone into custody if they have to spend their whole shift doing so.
Last Wednesday - during an update on the Perth and Kinross Local Police Plan 2023-27 - SNP councillor Sheila McCole asked about changes to custody arrangements in Perth. The Perth City South councillor asked Chief Inspector Tom Leonard for an update on "capacity and skills at Perth Police Station".
The local area commander for Perth and Kinross said: "It's something we've been looking at and - from my point of view - having local officers travelling to Dundee for every arrest is not ideal and probably leads to some of the concerns raised in terms of visibility.
"We've been in consultation with our custody division and we are launching a pilot that will start - hopefully at the start of April - to provide increased custody provision in Perth and Kinross."
Ch Insp Leonard added: "That will be an initial pilot period. The decision on custody will very much depend on footfall through the custody centre to justify the staffing levels and commitment but I'm hopeful that will be a successful pilot and will provide and enhance custody provision in Perth and Kinross and reduce the number of times officers are travelling through to Dundee and other primary custody centres."
The committee's convener SNP councillor Tom McEwan said: "I think it's really reassuring you have kept an eye on the custody arrangements - that you are being flexible and now trying something different to improve matters. I think that was what you promised when we first raised and discussed this and it's good to see you're keeping an eye on things and adapting where you need to adapt."
Following the meeting Caroline Macnaughton - secretary of the North Area Committee of the Scottish Police Federation - was "delighted" to hear of the developments.
She said: "We are delighted. It should cut down the travelling time for officers so should be far more efficient.
"It is a positive step and we would like to see it as a step towards opening it fully."
