A potential contender to be the next Police Scotland Chief Constable could be poached from under the nose of the Scottish Government.
Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone is expected to be a strong contender to take over from departing Chief Constable Sir Stephen House but The Herald understands he is being courted for two senior positions in London.
Livingstone, who is popular with rank and file cops, has attracted the attention of Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe for a senior role in the UK’s biggest police force, while he is also being mentioned in connection with a top job in the National Crime Agency.
If a secure offer lands on DCC Livingstone’s desk it may be an offer he can’t refuse and he could turn his back on the coveted top post in Scottish policing.
A police source told The Herald: “What Police Scotland needs is someone with a strong operational background with a keen understanding of Scottish culture and in particular Scottish policing. DCC Livingstone ticks all of those boxes but the danger is he could be poached for a senior post down south before the appointment procedure to replace Sir Stephen is complete.
“It would be a terrible shame as Iain is a proud Scot and he knows what needs to be done to put Scottish policing back on the front foot and to restore public and political confidence.
“The risk is this officer, who has spent his entire career in Scotland, could be tempted with the offer of a highly prestigious post in London and we will lose all his experience, which has been paid for by the Scottish tax payer. It is a tough one for Mr Livingstone personally, because if an offer is made and he rejects it, there is no guarantee he will land the Police Scotland job.”
It is expected advertisements for the position of Police Scotland Chief Constable will be placed in the next two weeks and there will be a quick short list drawn up with accelerated interviews to identify Sir Stephen’s success as quickly as possible.
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