SCOTLAND’S beleaguered police authority came under more pressure yesterday after the watchdog’s watchdog refused to back its chief executive John Foley.
Derek Penman, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, was up in front of MSPs on Holyrood’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing to discuss his damning report on the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).
The report, leaked to The Herald on Wednesday, described the organisation’s management as “dysfunctional”.
Green MSP John Finnie asked Penman: “Do you have confidence in the chief executive of the Scottish Police Authority?”
The inspector replied: “My position around the chief executive is that there needs to be an effective relationship with the chair and they need to have the skill set that’s necessary for moving on policing in the new structures.
“I would hope that the recommendation that we have put in place which is to look at the executive structures within the SPA, will also look at what skill sets and things are required from that and determine what the best mix of team and staff would be.”
He earlier told Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell he does not think Foley and outgoing chair Andrew Flanagan had worked well together.
Flanagan announced his resignation last week in advance of the HMICS report.
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