Edinburgh sauna raids show police ‘culture clash’

DCC Steve Allen believes police officers felt disenfranchised. Picture: Neil Hanna

THE creation of Scotland’s single police force caused a “culture clash” which left officers feeling “disenfranchised”, according to one of the country’s most senior policemen.

Steve Allen, the former deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police, will tell an audience in Edinburgh today that raids on the city’s saunas were the most obvious early sign of difficulties.

Deputy Chief Constable Allen, who is now in charge of policing operations for the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, is expected to say that the formation of Police Scotland “brought together fundamentally different leadership styles that created misunderstandings”.

Scotland’s eight forces were merged to form Police Scotland on 1 April 2013 with the hope of making more than £1 billion of savings by 2026.

But under the leadership of Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, it has been accused of “Strathclydisation” by forcing the tactics of what was once the country’s largest force on other parts of the country.

Last year, officers carried out a series of raids on Edinburgh’s saunas, which had previously been tolerated as part of the  police’s approach to the sex trade in the capital.

The raids saw licences suspended from a number of city saunas by councillors at the request of police, although some were later allowed to remain open after lodging appeals.

DCC Allen is appearing at a leadership event in Edinburgh today, where he is expected to say that many officers found the initial transition difficult.