Branding force institutionally racist was right thing to do, says Scotland's police chief

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Sir Iain Livingstone says admitting Police Scotland is institutionally racist and discriminatory was "absolutely the right thing to do".

The chief constable, due to retire this summer, addressed the comments he made last month to the Scottish Police Authority.Speaking at the watchdog's meeting on Wednesday, he said it was a difficult thing to say but was absolutely certain it was the truth and the right thing to do.He told the meeting, which is his last as Scotland's police chief: "I knew it would be a difficult message for some people to hear and, as I said myself, it was a difficult statement in some ways for me to say.

But in the weeks that have passed, I know that what I said is true and it's absolutely the right thing to do to allow the organisation to make progress."Sir Iain said the force is not "the only significant institution that perhaps should have that level of assessment and consideration".He said: "But we will take the lead because of the significant status that policing has in Scottish life and, rightfully, the high expectations that are expected of us."Sir Iain listed a range of issues for consideration, including how officers are equipped, how death messages are dealt with, how searches are carried out, and flexible working options for its workforce."Are we truly as inclusive as we should be and need to be?," he asked the SPA meeting in Edinburgh."Not because officers and staff, whether they're front-end operational service delivery or they're part of our corporate support function, not because they're seeking to act in a discriminatory manner, but actually our processes, our systems, our structures are not as inclusive as they could and should be."Actually saying that I think is, for me, telling you