What a merger could mean for us????

nell

Well-Known Member
This is or could be a Scottish issue if our police forces are merged as proposed yesterday.

Would this mean one firearms licensing department???

At the moment i find Lothian & Borders very good and have never had a problem,but what are forces like in the other regions?????

Nell
 
I would be gutted if Northern was to change.

They have slowed up a bit recently but you can still wander in and get a variation done whilst you wait drinking coffee out their coffee machine.
 
Frank you cert is singed by your chief officer of police in your area, how would that effect our renewals??.

ATB Barry
 
hi,

each area will be assigned a deputy head and he/she will assume the responsibilities.

please dont start a making an issue of this as some with start to panic.

its not going to be a problem and you can quote me on it.

f.
 
Not wanting to scaremonger but it says on my cert "Signature of Chief Officer of Police". I wasnt aware that the police could change an oficial document without home office approval.

ATB Barry
 
While it is true that it says signature of COP (see what I did there?!) - you'll find the use of 'per procurationem' or pp prevalent in all forces where others are delegated the right. I can't see them changing the way licensing works any more than I think each Police Chief sits and signs all the docs, such as variations themselves - far too busy and important...!! If they were to merge I think it would be all the more likely it would get easier, not harder. I'm with centralbeltstalker on this one.
 
Dan - Northern Constabulary were flooded with firearm applications - variations and renewals since before Christmas. It's a patience game. I'm still waiting for my renewal to come back,but they are very good in Inverness.

Ken.
 
Personally I'd be all for it if it meant no longer having to deal with Pitt Street, however there is no point worrying about something that has not happened. I could not imagine having 1 central office for the whole county of Scotland ;)
 
The suggestion of amalgamation of all Scottish forces is seen primarily as a cost saving exercise. It will mean reducing the number of high ranking officers on big wages, i.e. Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables and Assistant Chief Constables. A further knock-on effect already practised in Lothian & Borders, was to have one Chief Superintendent in charge of 3 county Divisions, this is currently the case with Midlothian & East Lothian, West Lothian and the Borders.

If, and it is a huge if, we see one Scottish force, there will be regional commanders, lots of them. It has already been suggested that because of this the cost saving exercise of making one force would be negated. There may well be a saving but would it be worth it? One area of real cost savings would be in shared services. For example specialised units like marine, diving, air support and so on. They are needed, but very seldom, therefore does every force require them or could they be centralised?

As far as unique departments go, like firearms enquiry departments, I would be very surprised if they were not left as is. Because of the nature of their job which as we know includes home visits and land suitability checks, and bare in mind they are a daily requirement, then unlike the aforementioned units, centralising them would be very difficult. Travelling costs alone would make that totally impracticable and massively time consuming.

And finally, you should all have a look at your certificates and see exactly who signed them. As already pointed out it will be a pp signature from an Inspector or a Chief Inspector on behalf of the Chief Constable.

I meant to add that the time scales in this venture would be huge, given the ensuing bun-fight as to who does what and goes where! Consider the budget forces get and how they are at the mercy of police boards that are made up with councillors sitting in specific regional wards. The organisational impact is mind blowing and not something that would happen overnight. It could be years before implemented, if at all.
 
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was talking to an feo today from fife who was telling me they had started to cut back ! they are having to share vehicles ets and its only a matter of time before jobs go
 
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