M9 crash report will make ‘brutal reading’ for Police Scotland

THE findings of a probe into the double fatality car crash, which was reported but not invstigated for three days, will make “brutal reading” for the police, it’s been claimed.

Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28, died earlier this year after lying undiscovered in the crashed car.

A Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) probe into the incident is expected to be handed to Justice Secretary Michael Matheson tomorrow.

And Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said he expects it to “make brutal reading for the service”.

The HMICS review is looking at all police call handling across the country and Mr Steele said he expected the issue of funding for the command centres to feature in the report.

He said: “We know that the issues surrounding the M9 (case) have led to a real intake of breath across Scotland, and indeed it is such a significant failure that it has really hurt the service.

“I suspect that when the report for that is published in the very near future that is going to make for some brutal reading for the service.

“But I also believe that there will undoubtedly be a significant element of finance identified as being a particular factor in that.”

Police Scotland has been tasked with making £1.1 billion of savings by 2026.

Niven Rennie, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, said: “It remains extremely difficult to keep services at their current level while the budget is being slashed.

“I don’t know how many officers we need for policing . . . What I am arguing is that it is worthless to have 17,234 officers if we remove all the other facilities that are required by modern police services, and utilise these officers to do civilian duties.”

He called for a “mature” debate on policing.

“This won’t happen while it is used as political football, with parties on each side taking cheap political shots at each other,” he added.

Last week it was reported that the alleged lack of a duty of care in the M9 case could lead to the police facing charges under the Health and Safety At Work Act.

The Act states that the police have a “duty not to endanger others”.

Last month The Sunday Post revealed Lamara Bell’s family had hired lawyers and expect to win multiple compensation payouts for family members left traumatised over the way the young mum died.

Speaking on the day he ordered the HMICS review, Mr Matheson said it did not believe a “systemic failure” was to blame for the initial phone call not being passed on to local officers.

The case is also subject to an independent probe by the police investigations and review commissioner, with the findings expected to be published imminently.

Scottish Labour will this week launch its review of Scottish policing, led by former top cop and justice spokesman Graeme Pearson.

Mr Pearson has also called for the Victim Information and Advice service to be scrapped and the savings to be used to increase funding for Victim Support Scotland.