Dundee East Labour
23 January 2020
Scottish Labour is today putting pressure on the Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf for his intransigence over the state of many of Scotland’s police stations.
On Tuesday Scottish Labour Justice Spokesperson James Kelly challenged the Cabinet Secretary over the shocking state of many police stations including Oban police station which is suffering from broken pipes and Paisley police station which has a leaking roof.
Despite the fact the Cabinet Secretary dismissed the concerns of James Kelly and several of Scotland’s police officers, only hours later Broughty Ferry Police Station’s roof fell in, luckily injuring no-one but leaving the station closed as a health and safety risk.
Commenting, James Kelly said:
“The Cabinet Secretary may write off the concerns of hard-working police officers as hyperbole, but the fact is that many of Scotland’s police stations are not fit for purpose and are a danger to police officers and the public.
“Only three hours after the Cabinet Secretary dismissed our concerns, the ceiling collapsed at Broughty Ferry police station, narrowly avoiding injury to officers and leaving the station inoperable for some time.
“This is symptomatic of the lack of investment put into police stations by the SNP government and the continuing failure of the Cabinet Secretary to listen to the concerns of police officers.
“ The SNP government must now produce an urgent plan to repair and improve Scotland’s crumbling police stations before more damage occurs and people are put in danger.”