We're all paying a high price for this flawed police funding model |
Our columnist Calum Steele looks at the vexed issue of police costs for keeping events, big and small, safe
Some 10 days on from the violence that marred the last Old Firm match at Ibrox, the recriminations show no sign of abating. Big, pointy fingers of blame have been waved in the direction of both sets of fans, while radio phone-ins have provided endless seams of ranting entertainment to keep the after-match antipathy alive – often in a manner that puts the tolerance for nuance found on social media to shame.
Our First Minister was quickly out of the traps to condemn – or “slam”, as tabloid writing style demands – the scenes at Ibrox, before returning to the subject last weekend to say he would never take his son to watch the fixture. We were left to guess whether his absence would be more keenly felt by the Union Bears or the Green Brigade, though seeing as the latter remain persona non grata at Celtic Park, it seems unlikely we will see John Swinney dusting off a blue balaclava and heading for the big hoose any time soon.
The appearance of the Chief Constable before Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee last week proved too much of a temptation for its members to resist. Stretching the committee’s remit beyond its natural limits ensured that Labour, Reform, and the Liberal Democrats all managed to take a swipe at the Glasgow duo, while giving Jo Farrell the opportunity to “slam” both clubs for their silence over the disorder and violence at the end of the match, which her officers faced.
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