ASIDE from an unhealthy closeness to Government, the Scottish Police Authority has been dogged by financial mismanagement and excessive secrecy.
The SPA, which is supposed to be an oversight body, has left critics fuming at their spending decisions.
Audit Scotland wrote the following in a recent report on SPA decision-making: “The 2016/17 audit ... identified a number of instances of poor governance and poor use of public money ... This is unacceptable.”
This was a reference to the SPA’s decision on relocation expenses and cash spent on hiring senior temporary staff.
Transparency has also been a stranger to the SPA. If the watchdog had got its way, committee sessions would be held in private and board papers would be held back until the day of a meeting.
An outcry halted these proposals and the backlash led to the exit of SPA chair Andrew Flanagan.
Today’s revelations are a perfect storm on finance and secrecy. An SPA staff member used whistleblowing legislation to raise concerns about a range of financial decisions. The case is currently at an employment tribunal.
However, the SPA’s response was to seek an anonymity order to hide the names of those involved. We make no criticism of the judge for agreeing to the order, but we do criticise the SPA for seeking it.
New SPA chair Susan Deacon has been clear about past deficiencies and she now faces an open goal. She should instruct the SPA to call for the order to be rescinded and, even better, constructively engage with the whistleblower.
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