Under threat police staff could learn fate before Christmas

MORE than 300 under threat police staff in the Highlands could learn their fate just before Christmas as the axe looms for Northern Constabulary, it has emerged.

Controversial reforms will see a national police service called Police Scotland established next April in a move the Scottish Government believes will save £1.7 billion over 15 years.

Police officer numbers will remain the same but the future is bleaker for support staff and unions fear job cuts.

Northern Constabulary chief constable George Graham admitted its civilian staff were affected by the huge changes on the horizon which are only 16 weeks away.

“There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety at the moment,” he said.

“We are hoping that in the next two to three weeks we will have a bit more understanding of the structure.

“It is an uncertain time for people, they are unsure whether they have a job, whether they have to relocate or if their posts disappear.”

Around 340 people are employed by the force carrying out a variety of backroom roles.

Critics of the new set up have claimed officers could be distracted from policing and forced to take on their work if severe job cuts become reality.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill admitted earlier this year that jobs would be lost in the national police service and said no duplication of new departments like human resources and communications could be allowed.

On his appointment Stephen House, the chief of the incoming national service, predicted about 3,000 back room jobs could be axed across all current eight police forces to make savings.

But the current chief of Strathclyde Police - who will draw a £208,000 salary in the new set up – later backtracked and said last month that the figure was “too stark.”