Police warn of pressure over public inquiries

PUBLIC inquiries are placing “extraordinary” pressure on Police Scotland as they eat into its budget while taking frontline officers off the street, MSPs have heard.

- By Craig Meighan

The total cost of the country’s public inquiries since 2007 totals £240million, including £95.3m for the ongoing Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

Financially, just one inquiry could have funded an extra 500 officers on the beat, according to the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation.

Addressing Holyrood, David Kennedy said public inquiries were having a “detrimental impact” on policing.