Police Chief Quits With All Guns Blazing

Dec 9 2007 By Norman Silvester And Charles Lavery

One of Scotland's most senior police officers has quit in fury - blaming interference from civil servants

ONE of Scotland's most senior police officers has quit in fury - blaming interference from civil servants.

Strathclyde deputy chief constable Ricky Gray told the Sunday Mail yesterday that outside agencies could weaken the force "to the point that it is not viable".

Gray handed in his notice on Thursday, sickened that many powers have been handed to the new Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).

He resigned just three weeks after Steve House became chief constable of Strathclyde, sparking rumours of a rift.

But Gray yesterday said his decision to quit came after the SPSA took charge of many police services including forensics, fingerprinting, criminal records, the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency, the Scottish Police Training College and information technology.

Gray, who will leave in March, said: "Mr House has my full support and Strathclyde has an exciting future under his leadership.

"I'm retiring because I'mfed up fighting against civil servants. It saps your energy.

"I am also concerned by the lack of accountability of the SPSA, which is a quango. We are having to take officers from normal police duties to deal with the handover to the SPSA.

"The fabric of what we have built up in Strathclyde will be eroded to the point that it is not a viable force because the component parts are run from elsewhere."

Gray is also critical of radical proposals by Paddy Tomkins, the new police watchdog, to set up a Scotland-wide super force.

It would mean the eight existing forces losing firearms teams, motorway police and helicopter support.

He said: "The report by Mr Tomkins is very shallow. It does not have any substance or statistical information that would lend weight to the views expressed."

Mr House also slated the report yesterday.

He said: "The report, for the sake of making a series of speculative proposals, does not accurately reflect the realities of the policing situation."

Gray, 54, was appointed deputy chief constable in 2004 and was not due to retire from his s130,000-a-year post until October 2009.

He is the latest in a series of senior officers to quit their posts in recent months. They include Graeme Pearson, head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, and Margaret Barr, head of the Scottish Police Training College.

Pearson has also blamed interference from civil servants and organisations such as the SPSA for his decision to quit.

And Mrs Barr has privately told colleagues that SPSA interference also played a part in her decision.

Paul Martin, Scottish Labour's justice spokesman, said: "We do not want to lose men of Mr Gray's calibre.

"The aim of the SPSA was to free up more money for frontline policing. I would be very concerned if this is not happening."

Tom Buchan, past president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, said: "Ricky Gray was, without doubt, the finest senior police officer I ever worked with.

"It is no coincidence that all the recent resignations, including Mr Gray's, have come about since the SPSA was set up."

The Scottish government said: "We support the SPSA in its efforts to improve the provision of common services to police forces in Scotland."

'I am fed-up fighting civil servants. What we have built here will be eroded to the point where it will no longer be viable'

-Deputy chief constable Ricky Gray yesterday

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