Local Government Committee 2

Police representatives expressed concerns to the Local Government and Regeneration Committee that the new Scottish Police Authority would have too few people on the board to function properly.

They were taking part in two evidence sessions on the Police and Fire Reform Bill on 21 February 2012.

The bill will see Scotland's eight police forces and eight fire services merged into two single national bodies.

It has been announced that single forces for Scotland's police and fire services are expected to begin operating on 1 April next year.

Calum Steele from the Scottish Police Federation said limiting the number of board members of the Scottish Police Authority to between seven and 11 would result in a board "far too small" unable to have the resilience to deliver all that would be expected of it.

Councillor Iain Whyte from the Scottish Police Authorities Conveners Forum earlier said the number of board members would be "insufficient".

Chief Superintendent David O'Connor from the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents also echoed this concern and asked whether the members of the board should be full time posts.

He went on to say there had to be "some form of democratic accountability and a link back from the national authority back to the local areas".

Chief Constable Kevin Smith from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) earlier said that what was missing from the bill was the part citizens would play, saying there must be some form of consultation with the citizens of Scotland about the new authority.

He also went on to state there must be a link between the local and the national when the new service comes into being.

However Gillian Campbell, Director of Human Resources at the Scottish Police Services Authority, told the committee she was comfortable with the proposed number of board members pointing out many multinational companies were run with a board of seven or less.

Also giving evidence were HM Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland Andrew Laing, Professor John McNeill the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland; Donald Urquhart from the Scottish Community Safety Network; George McIrvine from UNISON's Scottish Police Committee and Professor Nicholas Fyfe from the University of Dundee.

The first part of the committee where Councillor Barbara Grant from COSLA and Bob Jack from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives gave evidence can be viewed below:

The last evidence session where Councillor Bob Band from the Scottish Fire Conveners Forum; John Duffy from the Fire Brigades Union andAlex Clark from the Chief Fire Officers Association Scotland gave evidence, can be seen below: