Date: 09/12/2016

A bill has been tabled at Holyrood to have Police Scotland take over railway policing duties north of the border. Railways across the UK are currently overseen by British Transport Police. The Scottish government said it would be more efficient for these duties to be integrated into Scotland's national police force. Rail unions have spoken out against the move, while police chiefs have warned that a merger could be 'massively complicated'. However the senior police officers told MSPs at a Scottish parliament committee session in November that potential issues were 'not insurmountable'. Absorbing transport policing into Scotland's single force has been a long-running goal for Justice Secretary Michael Matheson. The BTP wanted to continue providing the service, but with oversight from Holyrood instead of Westminster after devolution, and three railway unions came out against the plan.

External links

Scots railway policing bill tabled

BBC News

A bill is tabled at the Scottish Parliament to allow Police Scotland to take over the policing of railways north of the border.