Achi news desk-
They also accused the new chief of “less commitment” to “tackling institutional discrimination” within the force.
Police Scotland said they did not acknowledge the criticism, but Calum Steele, General Secretary of the International Council of Police Representative Associations and former head of the Scottish Police Federation, said it was clear the force was not a “happy ship”.
READ MORE: Whistleblower claims Police Scotland leadership in ‘turmoil’
Now one of the complainants in the long-running police investigation into the SNP’s finances has come forward to ask whether the investigation is proceeding as it should amid the reported issues.
“The public has a right to see justice delivered especially when those being investigated are highly paid public servants,” said the complainant, who the Herald knows who he is but does not wish to be known.
“Operation Branchform has taken over two years so far and is based on a public fund raiser… the public has a right to expect justice to be seen done. Otherwise faith in the justice system could be endangered.”
READ MORE: Action Branch Form: The complainant raised concerns with SNP
READ MORE: Action Branch Form: ‘We have always acted in the interests of justice’
Asked if he was concerned about any negative effects on Operation Branchform, he said: “Yes, I think if Police Scotland are missing a number of key appointments, then how can they carry out their duties and investigate reported crimes ?
“It doesn’t take over two years to read a set of accounts and question a small number of people.”
A Police Scotland investigation into the SNP’s finances was launched in July 2021 after a number of complaints that £660,000 raised by the party specifically for a second independence referendum campaign had been spent on other items.
Nicola Sturgeon, her husband Peter Murrell and former SNP national treasurer Colin Beattie were all arrested in connection with the inquiry last year and released without charge.
Ms Sturgeon later insisted she was ‘innocent of any wrongdoing’.
Her and Mr Murrell’s home near Glasgow and the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh were also searched.
Since the launch of the investigation, Police Scotland has gone through major changes in its leadership.
Sir Iain Livingstone retired as chief constable of the force in August last year handing over overall responsibility for Operation Branchform to deputy chief constable Fiona Taylor.
Ms Farrell eventually took over as the officer in charge of the investigation when she became chief constable last October.
There have been other changes among the police’s top brass.
Ms Taylor and fellow deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham, applied for the role of chief constable but lost out to Ms Farrell. both are expected to retire this month, while the Scottish Police Authority is already looking to recruit three new Assistant Chief Constables.
Meanwhile, deputy Chief Officer David Paige, a senior member of the service’s civilian staff, has been on leave for months now after lodging a complaint against the Chief Constable.
Last month, The Herald reported that David Duncan, the Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) responsible for Policing Together, Police Scotland’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, had retired after just over a year in the job. .
The whistleblower told The Herald on Sunday that his “sudden departure” just weeks before the new hate crime legislation came into force, highlighted the “internal discord” in the service.
They said it was also “a scathing criticism of the leadership’s failure to prioritize and address the systemic challenges facing Police Scotland”.
Policing Together was created by former Police Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone to “drive cultural change within Police Scotland” and came just months before his sweeping announcement that “institutionalized racism, sexism, misogyny and discrimination exist”. within the service.
The new PGC portfolio was created in February 2023 to give “sustainable and tangible impact to the commitments in the Policing Together strategy”.
However, under the new Chief Constable, it has been combined with the Prevention, Partnership and Community Wellbeing portfolio.
The whistleblower said Mr Duncan’s “sudden departure” highlighted the “internal discord” in the service and “is also a harsh criticism of the leadership’s failure to prioritize and address the systemic challenges facing the Force Scotland”.
Chief Constable Farrell, the first woman to lead Police Scotland, joined in the autumn of last year after a four-year spell in charge of Durham Constabulary.
She was previously the subject of controversy after ordering a patrol car to taxi her home to England when her train was canceled due to Storm Babet.
The Headteacher later apologized for his “error of judgement” – which happened less than two weeks into his new role.
Our whistleblower said they were concerned about “less commitment” from CC Farrell to “tackling institutional discrimination within Police Scotland”.
They added: “Such a sequence of events points to leadership in turmoil, casting a shadow over the direction of the force and its ability to address critical internal and external challenges.
“The lack of transparency and strategic missteps have not only sown discord among the highest ranks but have also raised urgent questions about leadership priorities and their impact on the morale and effectiveness of Police Scotland.”
Calum Steele told the Herald on Sunday that it was “quite amazing” that senior police officers were so willing to publicly disparage the characteristics of colleagues.
He said: “The mood music I’m picking up from colleagues and former colleagues is that there is significant discord within the upper echelons of Police Headquarters in Tulliallan and it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.”
Towards the end of his tenure as Chief Constable, Sir Iain Livingtone made a number of public statements on Operation Branchform, staunchly defending the investigation after it came under attack from SNP figures.
In an interview with The Herald in March the former boss, who now leads Operation Kenova into collusion between security forces and paramilitary groups during the Troubles, said he would be happy to speak to Ms Farrell about the investigation in confidence.
He was pressed as to whether his successor should provide an update on the investigation.
“That’s not a matter for me to give advice to Jo Farrell,” he said.
“I will always be here personally, in confidence, to talk to Jo. She has many challenges ahead of her and I want her to do very well, for the police to do well.
“So I wouldn’t give any advice publicly to Jo Farrell. I think that would be inappropriate.”
On Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland spokesman said: “As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment.”
It is understood that the two portfolios under the responsibility of former Assistant Chief Constable Duncan were merged months before his retirement and had no effect on his decision to retire.
The force has insisted that merging the portfolios has strengthened its approach to vulnerability, equality, diversity and inclusion.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We have not scrapped Policing Together and we remain committed to making Police Scotland an anti-discriminatory service.”
