A council leader has argued that a reduction in the number of police control rooms in Scotland could compromise North Sea safety.
Aberdeen City Council’s Barney Crockett said the expertise built up over the past 30 years was “critical” in responding to major incidents such as the fatal Super Puma helicopter crash off the coast of Shetland in August.
Police Scotland is considering closing call centres in Aberdeen and Inverness as part of plans to save £120million in two years.
Mr Crockett said: “The control room in Aberdeen is critical for the North Sea,” he said. “It is absolutely critical we have the level of leadership in the city.
“The police have built up 30 years of expertise, people have won national awards for their expertise relating to the oil industry, and we have extremely specialised knowledge there.”
North-east Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnes echoed the concerns about the impact of control room closures.
She said: “We have some very significant infrastructure and have to ensure we have enough resilience to be able to deal with major incidents.”
A spokesman for Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “This is absolute rubbish and is simply an attempt to divert attention from Labour’s dire leadership of Aberdeen City Council.
“It is also the height of hypocrisy given that Labour supported the moves to a single national police force for Scotland.
“The reality is that this SNP government has delivered far more for Aberdeen and the north-east than Labour did during their time in officeand we will continue to do so.”
The national force is also looking at closing Bucksburn station in Aberdeen to the public, as well as the front desks at stations in Aboyne, Portsoy, Fochabers, Glencoe, Dornoch, Stromness, Ullapool, Benbecula and Mallaig.
Police chiefs say closing counters will not interfere with operations. The public seldom use counters and prefer to phone or e-mail.
A police spokeswoman said: “We are reviewing all areas of business, including the current operating procedure of our contact centres and control rooms.
“No decisions have yet been taken on future provision and any decisions will be subject to engagement with staff and the Scottish Police Authority.”
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