Business leaders and politicians say Perth is the “perfect place” to base Scotland’s proposed new single police force.
Civic leaders were pushing the possibility of locating the headquarters in the Fair City within hours of First Minister Alex Salmond’s confirmation that the current eight forces are to be merged into a single unit (link).
The Scottish Government’s controversial plan has faced accusations that the new force would inevitably be based in Glasgow and suffer from a central belt bias. But the geographical and logistical benefits of locating the headquarters in Perth are already winning local support.
Provost John Hulbert immediately endorsed the idea and revealed the matter has been discussed behind the scenes at Perth and Kinross Council in recent weeks.
A possible location, near the Broxden junction, has been identified and council officials are now working on a proposal.
Nine tenths of Scotland can be reached by car within 90 minutes from Perth and all six Scottish cities easily accessed from one of the exits of the Broxden junction.
“I have heard that there is talk that the headquarters won’t be in Edinburgh or the central belt and I suspect we may be in competition with Stirling,” said Mr Hulbert.
“We have very few government jobs in Perth at the minute and it is high time that we did. The majority of government jobs are prison officers in Perth Prison.
“The kind of high-quality, well-paid jobs that the headquarters of a Scottish police force would bring would be a massive boost to Perth.
“We have a perfect site at the Broxden roundabout, where you couldn’t ask for better transport links to the road network.”
His view was echoed by Councillor Ian Miller, the leader of the SNP administration of Perth and Kinross Council, who said he would now be directly making the case for Perth to the Scottish Government.
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“It is certainly something we have thought about and I must say I think Perth is the perfect location for such a headquarters,” he said. “We were waiting to hear the official announcement but I will certainly now be making the case for Perth straight to the Scottish Government.
“With the bid for city status ongoing this would be a huge boost for Perth.”
Alexander Stewart, the Tory group leader in Perth and Kinross Council, also added his support to the plan.
Mr Stewart, who has been a member of Tayside Police Board for over eight years, said: “I think that Perth is an ideal place for a headquarters to be located as you are 90 minutes from 90% of Scotland. Our network is very good and if we are looking for a central location there are not many places better than Perth for an administrative hub.”
Leading business organisation Perthshire Chamber of Commerce also backed the plan.
Chief executive Vicki Unite told The Courier: “Clearly, any decisions on the future structure of policing are a matter for the Scottish Government. However, what is not in doubt is that Perth has already shown that it is an ideal location not just for business.
“It is home to the headquarters of two major UK plcs, Scottish and Southern Energy and Stagecoach, as well as being a base for Aviva and SEPA.
“Perth is 90 minutes away from 90% of the rest of Scotland and has a huge amount to offer organisations seeking a convenient base with good links and a high quality of life.”
Mid Scotland and Fife MSPs Liz Smith and Annabel Ewing also gave their backing.
The plan to legislate for a single police force and single fire service was unveiled on Wednesday as part of the SNP’s programme for government for the coming year.
The Scottish Police College at Tulliallan is also rumoured to be in the running to be the headquarters.