A former Labour minister and respected academic has been appointed to head Scotland's civilian watchdog.
The Scottish Government has named Susan Deacon as the new chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority after a series of concerns that the body lacked teeth.
Prof Deacon replaces Andrew Flanagan who announced his intention to step down in June of this year after a series of rows over alleged attempts to gag or control members.
A former health minister, Prof Deacon now works in a senior position at Edinburgh University and holds several non-executive directorships.
Justice Michael Matheson said: “I am delighted to appoint Susan Deacon to the important and high profile role of Chair of the SPA.
"As a former parliamentarian and minister with considerable experience in high profile board posts, she will bring a fresh perspective to the governance of Scottish policing.
“While this is a challenging role, I fully expect her to bring strong leadership and relationship building skills and fully engage with the wide range of parties with an interest in policing.
“Her role will now be to work closely with the SPA board and Police Scotland’s senior leadership team to ensure the police service continues to deliver the benefits of reform.
“I am very grateful to her predecessor, Andrew Flanagan, for his dedication and progress in driving forward the reform programme over the last two years.”
Prof Deacon said: “It is a privilege to be appointed as Chair of the Scottish Police Authority. The issues facing the SPA have been well documented and there is much to be learned from what has gone before, but my focus now is on the future.
“Policing is one of our nation’s most important public services, and I look forward to working with colleagues in the SPA and in Police Scotland in addressing the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“The SPA has a critical role in overseeing Police Scotland and ensuring that our police service develops and adapts to meet the needs of a changing world. Building trust, confidence and relationships is key and that will be a focus of my efforts from the outset.”
SPA members, in anonymised researc revealed this week, said their own organisation was in the 'pocket' of the SNP.
Prof Deacon will take up her post on December 4 and will serve for four years.
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