Closure of region's last road policing department a 'sad day'

A former police chief has criticised the withdrawal of the last remaining traffic officers based in the Scottish Borders.

For the first time in almost six decades no dedicated patrols will operate out of the region - which has about 2,000 miles (3,200km) of public roads.

Police Scotland said the relocation of traffic officers to neighbouring Midlothian would not have any impact on patrols.

However, Brian Jones, vice-chair of the Police Federation, said it had happened without any consultation. He said: "It's a very sad day that we're now seeing the closure of the last roads policing department in the Borders after being present for nearly 60 years."

Prior to the merging of eight regional police forces to create Police Scotland in 2013, Jones was in charge of a traffic department for the Lothian and Borders region which consisted of three sergeants and 20 constables.

As well as initiatives for young drivers and motorcyclists in the Borders, the traffic officers were also heavily involved in tackling cross-border crime in joint operations with police in Northumberland and Cumbria.

Roads policing bases in Galashiels and Hawick were shut over the past decade with the last remaining depot at the Duns station closing on 31 August.

Jones continued: "The real sadness is what we had previously to what we have now.

"We don't have that interaction in the road network like we used to, where we carried out multiple road checks with multiple agencies addressing road safety and travelling criminality.

"The closing of Duns is just the latest in a long line of reduced services across the country - but specifically for the Borders there's now 2,000 miles of roads without any traffic police base."

Police Scotland does not believe the recent closure of the traffic depot in Duns will impact on roads policing across the Borders.

It said the restructuring was a necessity due to continued funding pressures

Supt Andy Barclay, deputy head of road policing, said: "We have previously outlined the need to implement a sustainable model for road policing across the country.

"Road policing officers will continue to operate in the Scottish Borders and provide a visible presence to keep the roads safe."

As well as the relocation of officers from Duns to Dalkeith, traffic police from East Lothian have also been moved to the Midlothian station.

The changes mean many roads policing officers now face drives of up to an hour to reach their base before starting their shifts behind the wheel.

Mr Jones added: "They're going to have to travel to and from Dalkeith before and after their shift, so there's a huge welfare concern here, which I know senior officers are looking at.

"We've sadly we've seen the consequences of people driving home after night shift in the past when they are exhausted."

The federation has written to politicians in the Borders, as well as traffic police commanders, to raise concerns over the latest changes.

The Scottish government said it had provided record funding of more than £1.7bn and the chief constable had confirmed that would maintain officer numbers at 16,500.

"Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales, and recorded crime has fallen by almost half since 1991," said a statement.

"A single police service ensures that local divisions can access resources and specialist expertise as required at regional and national level."