NEXT week marks four years since that terrible night when a police helicopter crashed into the Clutha pub in Glasgow killing 10 people.
By any standards it’s a substantial passage of time, not least for the victims’ families waiting for a decision regarding Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) proceedings. Yesterday the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service finally announced an FAI is to go ahead.
That the inquiry will not begin until the autumn of next year, almost five years on from the accident, is a travesty. For the Crown Office to say the wait for its decision on a FAI must have been difficult and stressful for those affected is something of an understatement to say the least.
To date some compensation and damages claims have been met and the Crown Office has concluded there is insufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings. Among investigators’ findings was that fuel transfer switches on the helicopter were turned off at the time of the crash. A 2015 report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also said the pilot did not follow emergency protocol and flew on despite low fuel warnings.
The Crown Office said yesterday the police investigation into the crash involved the collation of substantial documentary evidence and the cooperation of overseas agencies and aviation industry witnesses.
This is to be expected in such a case and it’s right there should have been no hasty conclusions.
But those issues notwithstanding, it remains utterly unacceptable that almost five years will have passed before a FAI even starts.
As is so often the case in such proceedings the concerns of victims’ families and loved ones as well as survivors appear to be sidelined in the procedural priorities of those tasked with such investigations.
As Andrew Henderson, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors, which represents many Clutha victims, said: “The whole purpose of FAIs is to make recommendations that will stop similar tragedies happening in the future.”
Mr Henderson is right about this key point, and this alone should have acted as sufficient incentive to respond as quickly as possible while maintaining the required degree of investigative rigour demanded.
The Clutha investigation has again highlighted the need for an overhaul of the FAI system that takes into account the concerns and feelings of those most affected by such tragedies.
It is not the first time the Crown Office has been criticised over delays in bringing cases to court or implementing proceedings. No doubt there is a degree of wariness having had their fingers burnt in the past. Resource may also be an issue.
But while procedures need to be followed, there is no doubt inquiries must be held more quickly and that five years is too long for those bereaved families and injured survivors from the Clutha to have to wait for answers.
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