Police recruitment assurances

Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has received assurances from Sir Stephen House, chief constable of Police Scotland, that the size of the force in Orkney will be maintained through active recruitment of officers to fill the current vacant posts.

Sir Stephen also indicated that a working group has been established to look at what specific actions can be taken to recruit and retain numbers in the islands.

Mr McArthur wrote to Sir Stephen recently in light of growing concerns about a lack of progress in filling vacancies within the local police force in Orkney. Similar problems, he said, have emerged in Shetland, despite earlier commitments from Sir Stephen that force numbers in the isles would be maintained.

“In my letter to Sir Stephen, I made clear that officers moving to the islands should not be left out of pocket, and that financial support must be available to cover the costs of relocating,” Mr McArthur said.

“In addition, I suggested that extra ‘weight’ could be given to a posting in Orkney or Shetland that would help in terms of future career progression.”