THE last thing Police Scotland needed this month was another controversy to undermine public confidence in the vital service it provides. On Friday, the single force published details of a long-awaited staff survey that made disturbing reading.

The dossier revealed that one third of officers wanted to leave the force and that nine out of 10 staff do not believe the service cares about them.

This alarming picture was the culmination of a terrible 18 months for a force hammered by cuts and beset by scandal.

Police Scotland has endured a torrid time over its discredited policies on stop and search and armed policing, and faced justified criticism over the M9 and Sheku Bayoh tragedies.

Its Counter Corruption Unit has also been caught unlawfully spying on journalists’ sources – the details of which must eventually come to light.

All these rows prompted beleaguered chief constable Stephen House to bring forward his retirement date to December.

And now, House is under fresh scrutiny for linking a rise in housebreakings in Edinburgh to Eastern Europeans.

Addressing the Scottish Police Authority earlier this year, he laid the blame at the door of youngsters, but added:

“There is also no doubt that there have been Eastern European groupings involved in a number of the crimes that we have been trying to deal with and that adds in its complications – they can be young, identities aren’t always certain, they can go back and forward out of the country, that can happen as well.”

However, the figures do not back up the chief constable’s claim, as only a tiny number of housebreaking-related crime in Edinburgh are linked to people of these nationalities.

Scotland has made great strides in race relations in recent years – particularly as a result of European Union expansion – and House’s comments seem clumsy, given the flimsy evidence behind his assertion.

The outgoing chief constable – who hasn’t had his troubles to seek – is in danger of leaving office without any positive legacy.