Police in Scotland do a very good job despite facing numerous challenges due to budgets being slashed in real terms.
The majority of people in Scotland have faith that officers will do their best and adhere to strict standards.
So, it’s fair to say that if some fail to meet those high principles, or are found to have actively ignored them, they should be held accountable.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance is proposing a new code of ethics for Police Scotland.
Two of the suggested changes are to prevent officers guilty of gross misconduct from being re-employed in policing and to ensure officers are no longer able to avoid disciplinary proceedings by resigning. The latter issue has been contentious in Scotland for some time.
Relatives of Kevin McLeod have long called for reform. He was 24 when he was found dead in the water at Wick Harbour in 1997, having suffered injuries consistent with a severe beating.
Twice since then, his family have seen major probes axed when very senior police officers walked away from proceedings by quitting.
Writing in today’s Daily Record, Constance says the new legislation would ensure officers were no longer able to avoid disciplinary proceedings by resigning.
The minister stresses the reforms are as much about protecting the high standards the vast majority of officers adhere to on a daily basis.
It’s in all of our interests to ensure our national police force is operating in a professional manner which we can place our faith in.
Let Matthew stay
The number of people of working age in Scotland is shrinking.
So we should be welcoming skilled migrants who want to make a contribution here.
It makes the case of Matthew Jun Fei Freeman seem all the more shocking.
He has made Moray his home over the last decade and has thrown himself into charity work locally.
Matthew has fallen victim to arcane Home Office rules which found that because he made a fleeting return visit to China he does not have enough years of continuous UK residency. He is an only child whose parents died long ago.
Forcing him to leave the UK to return to China when he is a valued member of his local community in Scotland makes no sense. Immigration has increasingly become a political weapon in recent years.
It leads to bad policies which don’t recognise individual circumstances. Matthew should be allowed to remain in Scotland.
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