Policing Community policing
With Scotland now embarking on a three-month consultation on the future shape of policing there has never been a more important time for the right voices to be heard. ACPOS is the professional voice of the leadership of the police service in Scotland and as such will be heard throughout the consultation and beyond. We have made it quite clear that in the current financial context the need for reform [exists] but that proper examination of all the available evidence and opinion should take place. Opinions may vary on which structure would serve the people of Scotland best in the years ahead but I believe there is a universal belief in the police service and beyond that we must protect the high standards which are the envy of the world. It must be clear how change will deliver better value for money and allow for those standards to be maintained while at the same time there must be safeguards on accountability at local and national level. We have a chance to improve the service but we must consider the outcomes we have to deliver before we
Health Bitter pill
Fake medicines are an increasing problem. Customs officials stopped 32 million counterfeit medicinal products from entering the EU in 2008. Te World Health Organisation estimates that 50 per cent of drugs supplied over the internet are falsified. Between 2005 and 2007 in the UK, there were a number of cases of fake life-saving products such as AstraZeneca’s prostate cancer drug Casodex and the anti-platelet drug Plavix, which protects against heart attack and stroke, reaching wholesalers and
even pharmacy shelves. Tis is why the European Parliament is currently debating an amendment to the Falsified Medicinal Products Directive which will seek to tighten up the rules on the import, export and trade in fake medicines. As fake medicines become ever more sophisticated it is vital that every possible step is taken to counter this major threat to public health and safety.
STRUAN STEVENSON Conservative MEP, Strasbourg
can have an idea of what the structure will look like. ACPOS members – police officers and staff at the highest level – met this week to discuss the way forward and air key issues ahead of the consultation and the election campaign which will begin within weeks. What emerged from those discussions was that far from engaging in some form of self-protection as some critics would see it, the leadership of policing in Scotland is prepared to embrace and support change if it is demonstrated that it will make a difference. Policing is not broken, we should be very proud of what we have, but the current financial climate and the complexities
of modern-day policing dictate that the existing model cannot be sustained. Nobody is arguing for the status quo and we are all agreed that we have an opportunity to shape a service that meets the challenges of the modern-day operational environment. Policing today is about much more than protecting the public, reducing crime and the victims of crime; we are a key frontline agency and through locally integrated community partnerships contribute to social resilience. ACPOS will be taking part in the consultation as well as engaging with the work of the Christie Commission on the future of public services. I would urge all those with an interest in public services in general and policing in particular to do the same.
ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE CLIFF ANDERSON
General Secretary,
Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS)
Education
Choice language
I read with dismay Cllr MacLaren’s comments regarding the future of Gaelic-medium Education in Edinburgh (Balancing Act, 28 January). Gaelic is an official language of Scotland, but sadly is recognised by UNESCO as ‘endangered’. In Scotland, we have seen the establishment of two dedicated Gaelic schools, both of which have resulted in significant uptake of Gaelic education in their respective cities. Dedicated language schools are not only internationally recognised as the best model for second language teaching in schools, but they are also the model supported by the Scottish Government. I would expect influential Edinburgh councillors to demonstrate that they are listening to the overwhelming evidence from these official bodies as well as parental desires when considering the future of Gaelic education in the city.
ALASDAIR CAMERON Convenor, Comann nam Pàrant Dhùn Èideann & Lodainn
Debating point response: G20 Should the G20’s governance be overhauled and more powers handed to the IMF? Yes
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recommended that the Group of 20 industrialised economies undergoes a major structural overhaul while also expanding the powers of the International Monetary Fund to deal more effectively with future financial crises. The G-20 should organise itself along the lines of constituencies, in which each member sitting around the table would represent a group of neighbouring countries – a framework mirroring that of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, which acts as a steering
committee for the IMF. This would help make the G-20 more legitimate by giving all 187 IMF members a voice at the G-20, and as such make it more efficient in preventing future crises. The role of the IMF as a lender of last resort has to be recognised, so it is equipped to deal with systemic crises. And it should be given sanction powers against countries that flout internationally agreed rules.
ROBERT COWRY Financial analyst
DEBATING POINT
Is the interest rate too low? See the letters page of Holyrood in the next edition
28 February 2011 Holyrood 91
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