Hugh Henry MSP for Renfrewshire South: Chief Constable Sir Stephen House is to stand down from his post

28 Aug 2015

Chief Constable Sir Stephen House is to stand down from his post

I have been calling for months for Stephen House to stand down. He has finally done the right thing. Police Scotland needs a fresh start. It owes it to its hard working and dedicated staff, and to the general public.

But Sir Stephen House is not solely responsible for this mess. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has failed in its duties to hold Police Scotland to account and there should be a clear out there.

But at the heart of this crisis has been Scottish Government Ministers, including the First Minister. The Scottish Government established and protected Police Scotland and the SPA, but then failed to properly fund Police Scotland.

Sir Stephen House was a useful lighting rod to deflect attention away from Scottish Ministers. They now need to be held to account for the failures.

About Hugh

Hugh Henry is a Scottish Labour politician first elected a Member of the Scottish Parliament in1999 when he represented Paisley South. He was appointed Deputy Minister for Health and Community in 2001and moved to Deputy Minister for Social Justice in 2002. He became Deputy Minister for Justice after the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2003 and Minister for Education in 2006. Hugh collected the Scottish Politician of the Year award in 2010 and won the newly created Renfrewshire South seat in 2011. He was raised in Erskine, Renfrewshire and educated at St Mirin's Academy, Paisley, at the University of Glasgow and Jordanhill College in Glasgow. He has worked as an accountant, a teacher and as a welfare rights officer. He was a local councillor from 1984 until 1999, including four years as leader of Renfrewshire Council. He is married with two daughters and a son.