I had a very interesting interview with the Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation earlier this week.

Firstly thank you to David Threadgold for his time and candour, and also the office staff for their

hospitality.

We touched om numerous subjects of course and Davids enthusiasm and passion were refreshing to

me, as I remember a much older Federation who were a touch less transparent, to my mind at any rate.

The shock for me was to realise just how bad things have become behind the Thin Blue Line. A line

that seems to get thinner and more fudged all the time. He explained graphically that we really are

providing a response service now as more and more duties and responsibilities are piled onto the

service. Something unthinkable by myself and my peers of only 20 years ago.

We called it a fire service, when all we would do was respond to emergency calls and incidents as and

when required. No street presence, no responsibility for your own beat or patch, no engagement with

the schools, clubs and organizations that form and bind a community.

The fact that it has happened so quickly is a damning indictment of our politicians and so called

leaders who have allowed our service to be used and over burdened by health matters and cries for

help from every section of society, when there should be other resources to help and deal with them

who do not need to be sworn officers of the law.

It's surely time to address this dreadful situation and ensure that our police service can again be a

reassuring presence on our streets. There is no better deterrent to would be criminals, but life size

pictures of cops in retail shop windows is no substitution for the real thing.

Co-Host

Ex Under Cover Detective