Ministers stall on railway policing merger with review of "further options"

The Scottish Government's plans for the devolution of railway policing have been further put on hold, as Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf announced that further options would be explored for how it would be delivered.

His decision to put off the integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland comes following recent advice from the national force "around the practicalities of a number of issues and timing of implementation, particularly relating to ICT".

The original target completion date of April 2019 was put off earlier this year after concerns arose over the integration of IT systems and protection of the terms and conditions of BTP officers transferring to Police Scotland.

Announcing the latest rethink, Mr Yousaf said that the Scottish Government remained committed to the full integration of railway policing into Police Scotland, as legislated for by the Scottish Parliament, and would keep this under review.

However, there was a need "to identify interim arrangements that could give effect more quickly to the devolution of railway policing, as recommended by the Smith Commission".

The Scottish Government will bring together Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the British Transport Police and others to re-examine the available options.

The Justice Secretary said: "Throughout this process we have been committed to listening to officers and staff. As part of that ongoing approach I have decided that we will re-examine all options for the devolution of railway policing, with clear governance structures that ensure accountability to the Scottish Parliament.

"The absolute priority for all those involved is the safety and security of officers, staff and those who use Scotland's railways.

"I intend to update Parliament following summer recess. In the meantime I want to pay tribute to the ongoing commitment of officers and staff of both police services, who I look forward to engaging with on this matter in the very near future."

Ministers have been criticised for not producing a business case for the merger, though they claim it would make transport policing more accountable. Police Scotland says that questions about costs, benefits and risk mitigation remain unanswered.

Opposition politicians said the Government had "finally been forced to act and think again" (Conservatives), made a "humiliating climbdown" (Labour), and should "scrap the merger instead of muddling through" (Liberal Democrats).