Stephen House took the right decision when he announced yesterday that he would step down as chief constable of Police Scotland.
There are simply too many controversies, too many battles to be fought on too many fronts for him to concentrate on the job of steering the force through its early years.
Stop and search, armed police, the death in custody of Sheku Bayoh, the scandal of the A9 deaths, the spying on journalists... as the problems mounted so too did the impression of a force in crisis.
Not only that, but we learned yesterday that the budgeted savings from the decision to merge all Scotland’s police forces – the reason for creating Police Scotland in the first place – look unlikely to be achieved in full. House warned the Scottish Police Authority yesterday that to close the £11m funding gap would involve politically unpalatable measures.
The House era will soon draw to a close and few will mourn it. Now that the chief constable is going, the Scottish Government can concentrate on the difficult task of rebuilding public confidence in the police.
The first step is to find the right person to take the reins, someone who can win support within and outwith the force itself.
The next is to show that the financial targets set for Police Scotland are achievable.
After that it must prove that the concept of a single police force is not in itself an impossible dream. That means taking into account local opinions which were routinely ignored by the chief constable, being sensitive to public opinion and adequately communicating information about police methods and aims in a way in which the public can understand.
In short, the government must show that the problem with Police Scotland has been the man in charge rather than a fatal flaw in the system itself.
Patrick Harvie: Spectre of the former police chief may yet remain
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