Annabel Goldie: Keeping Scotland safe is my priority

Annabel Goldie 

Speech to Scottish Police Federation, Aviemore

Tuesday 19th April, 2011

 Les, Ladies and Gentlemen: Good morning.

Let's be frank. These are tough times.

I won't beat about the bush with what I have to say to you today.

I won't pretend that I hold a magic wand which I can wave to make all the ills of the world or the problems which you face disappear.

(I am not here as your fairy godmother telling you to go to the Policeman's Ball!)

As I have tried to do throughout this campaign, I will tell it straight.

Les – you have been blunt. I respect that, I'll be blunt too.

But let's start with where we are.

I am proud of my role in giving you 1,000 extra colleagues, out on our streets, detecting, deterring, arresting and helping.

And yes, that means I won a battle with the other parties:

I triumphed over those who didn't want any extra police and I triumphed with those who would only have delivered 500.

I gave an ultimatum to the SNP government: "Forget fobbing Scotland off with your broken police pledge – and delivered the full 1,000 extra police or the budget deal is off."

I argued, they bowed, and we delivered. The thin blue line was strengthened.

And yes, Les – it is no coincidence that crime is at a 32 year low. We gave you the extra police – and you delivered for Scotland. I bow to nobody in my admiration for what our police men and women do. You act without fear or favour. Upholding the law, keeping the peace, cutting crime.

And so the challenge in the next parliament is to make sure that these hard won gains – 1,000 extra police and lower crime – are kept.

Today, I am not going to promise you anything I cannot deliver.

But I can promise you that I will not back any budget which does not maintain the funding for the 1,000 extra police. No ifs, no buts, no cuts.

And in the next parliament I will fight to right a wrong which has gone on for too long. We must restore honesty in sentencing and end automatic early release.

And before my opponents rush to remind you that the Conservatives brought it in – yes we did. And we passed an Act to repeal in 14 years ago, an Act left to gather dust by Labour when they came to power in 1997 and since then every time we have tabled amendments in the Scottish Parliament to scrap automatic early release we have been blocked by a combination of Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems.

But there is more I want to do. We will restore the rights of the courts to hand down short term sentences. And we will transform rehabilitation of offenders in jail and outside of jail. And yes – for those who could benefit from a community sentence, the sentences will be meaningful and no soft touch.

Like you, I get angry when you do all you can to catch the criminals – and then they walk free to strike again.

Tougher community sentences. Honesty in sentencing. Keeping 1,000 more police.

Safer streets, safer communities and a safer Scotland.

Because you don't cut crime by arbitrarily cutting the prison population.

You cut the prison population by cutting crime.

Les – let me turn to the core of your speech.

Police pay and conditions and the three challenges you gave each of us.

Firstly, the maintenance of police officer number.

Yes. A priority.

Secondly, support for a fair pay negotiating system.

I hear what you say about the Windsor Report, and your criticism that the Home Secretary says that the PNB should consider the Windsor proposals.

There is little point in setting up a review and then not considering the outcome. Consideration does not automatically mean blanket acceptance.

The PNB is independent. I spoke to the Home Secretary yesterday voicing your concerns. She, like me, would urge you to make your voice heard – we expect you to do that.

So it doesn't surprise me that your Federation is fighting for the best deal you can get. That is your job and your duty.

Indeed, the job of all those who represent our public sectors workers is to speak up for their members.

That is why I too was disgusted that the thuggery of a minority caused such mayhem and disruption to the peaceful march in London last month – and that one again it was your colleagues who had to bear the brunt of their anarchy.

But we are where we are. I will not give you a lecture about why we are here – but Britain faces the worst debt crisis since the second world war.

Scotland is not immune. We are, to coin a phrase, all in this together.

So I take on board your concerns over the process – and I will continue to raise these concerns with the government.

But on the substance of your third challenge – no erosion of police pay and conditions – all the main parties are agreed on the need for pay restraint.

As Iain Gray recently said:

"We have to have significant pay restraint, probably close to, or at, a pay freeze," he said, adding: "Certainly over a couple of years, maybe two or three years."

And the Finance Secretary, John Swinney:

"We have an approach to public sector pay that includes a pay freeze across the public sector, except for the lowest-paid people; the suspension of non-consolidated pay, including bonuses;

And of course the coalition LibDem/Conservative UK government agrees.

And Jeremy Purvis, the LibDem finance spokesman agrees with Nick when he said:

"We support a public-sector pay freeze for those earning over £21,000 but we also believe the pay bill for those earning over £80,000 needs to be cut by 10%,"

From my perspective, far better a 2 year pay freeze for all except the lowest paid to protect jobs, rather than no action and fewer jobs.

So – to return to my bluntness – no special deals for specific sections of the public sector. But that is not to say that there are not elements of the structure of special payments or conditions which are particular to the police service, and it is right that these are examined and resolved. So I repeat – make you voice heard.

Doing nothing to balance Britain's books is a recipe for even harder times in the future.

We must fix our finances. We must get our country back to work and open for business. We must create jobs and opportunity, train the workforce of tomorrow and secure the recovery.

That is the only way we can keep out public services delivering for Scotland, by dealing with the deficit and building a country which can pay the taxes to pay your wages – not just for the next 2 years but into the future. We all want the taxes we pay to be spent on the services we value and need.

Every police officer in Scotland is a taxpayer too.

So yes, there are challenges. It will not be plain sailing. But my commitment to keeping all the police officers I fought to secure remains undiminished.

And I want to build a police force which is even more accountable to the public it serves and protects. You are run at present by Police Boards staffed by Councillors largely invisible to the public. Not directly elected by the people to serve on the boards – but by fellow councillors.

I want that to change. I want directly elected Police Commissioners for each area of Scotland to replace the Police Boards. They would be a visible bridge between the public and the Police – which would retain their Divisional structure, local policing and community support.

On balance I believe that establishing a single force is a way forward as savings have to be found if we are to sustain officer numbers on the front line – but local democracy and accountability have to be enhanced at the same time.

Les, ladies and gentlemen, these are my answers to the questions which you pose.

I didn't enter politics to just pander a populist line.

I will always be prepared to listen to reason, but equally I am always ready to do what is right.

Difficult times mean difficult decisions. It also means being prepared to come up with new solutions. So I set out proposals to allow some 14 year olds, rather than be disengaged from learning, to be switched on to new opportunities and to go into vocational training. Indeed Les, you described this plan as "Common Sense". It would seem that is what we both stand for!

Politics is about choices. Choices such as deciding that cutting crime by putting a thousand extra police on the streets was and remains a priority.

Choices such as wanting to restore short term sentencing and to bring honesty to sentencing.

Choices such as wanting to be on the side of the victim and the law abiding majority, not the thug, the mugger, the rapist or the killer.

You, the police officers of Scotland, are at the front line of keeping Scotland safe.

My admiration for all you do is unbounded, so I won't patronise you with political platitudes and yes Les, I will continue to make sure that your concerns are heard at the heart of Government.

You carry out your duties selflessly, I will do the same.

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