FMQs: Sombre questions over Police Scotland

Lamara Bell and John Yuill died after their car crashed off the M9 in July

A notably sombre, indeed solemn, session of questions to the first minister. Entirely understandable, given that the topic under discussion involved a double fatality in decidedly controversial circumstances.

Or maybe it didn't. The subject in question was the tragic deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell. Lamara lay trapped in a car for three days after an accident on the M9. The initial accident was apparently reported but not followed up by police.

On Tuesday, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland published a report into call handling by Police Scotland in the aftermath of that incident. The report made 30 recommendations to improve the system.

But it was emphasised that Tuesday's report did not investigate police action with regard to the specific case on the M9. That task falls to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Which resulted in the disjuncture at Holyrood today. Labour's Kezia Dugdale and the Conservatives' Ruth Davidson both pursued the first minister.

Ms Dugdale said Tuesday's report amounted to a "damning assessment" of the Scottish government in that it was ministers who conjoined Scotland's forces into Police Scotland.

HMICS published a series of recommendations aimed at improving police call handling

The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she was ducking nothing. All 30 recommendations had been accepted. All 30 recommendations would be implemented.

But the report, she stressed, said nothing about the tragic events on the M9. She offered sympathy to the families involved, as did others.

But were Scottish Ministers generically culpable? Both Ms Dugdale and Ms Davidson said that the establishment of Police Scotland had been mishandled.

Ms Davidson went further and said that ministers were attempting, wrongly, to "pass the buck" onto Westminster in the shape of claims about cuts in expenditure.

She said that the Scottish budget had increased in cash terms by some £661m while the budget for policing had reduced by £6m, year on year.

Save money

In response, Ms Sturgeon noted that both Labour and the Conservatives had supported the introduction of a single police force. She argued that every effort had been made to smooth transition.

Further, she said, one purpose of the merger had been to save money. It was not surprising, therefore, that the police line in the budget was lower. That did not mean services had been cut. Scotland's overall budget had faced a real terms cut, she said.

It would have been decidedly helpful on this occasion to hear from Willie Rennie, the Liberal Democrat leader. His party opposed the concept of a single force from day one.

However, the paucity of Lib Dems at Holyrood mean he is not entitled to a question every time the FM faces such inquiries. This, by sheer ill luck, was his fallow week.