Police Scotland is reaping “tremendous benefits” from having oil and gas industry expertise at the heart of its operations in the North Sea, an inspector said yesterday.
Insp Faye Tough was talking about John McAllister, who works for oil company Taqa Bratani and is on secondment to the force’s Aberdeen-based energy industry liaison unit (EILU).
Mr McAllister, once dubbed “the north-east’s Superman” for his exploits on the Highland Games circuit and the champion of champions title he won on popular TV game show The Krypton Factor, is stepping down from the EILU role at the end of June.
It is expected that another industry insider will replace him and carry on his work supporting police in a “beat” covering about 150,000 square miles.
Police Scotland’s Aberdeen city division has responsibility for policing the central and northern parts of the UK North Sea, as well as waters west of Shetland.
The division’s 14th community policing team can call on 42 specially-trained officers and 32 police liaison officers for work offshore, which ranges from dealing with crime incidents on oil and gas installations to disaster response. With more than 25,000 people working offshore at any one time, it is a mammoth job to make sure they are all safe.
EILU was set up soon after the first oil was pumped from the North Sea in the 1970s but it is only in recent years that it has had the benefit of industry expertise through secondments.
Mr McAllister, Taqa Bratani emergency response and security co-ordinator, said: “The North Sea can be a hostile environment which can present many challenges for those working offshore and indeed those policing the offshore community.
“Challenges can include severe and rapidly changing weather as well as a hazardous environment.”
Insp Tough said: “The majority of energy companies have their operational headquarters in Aberdeen, so it is vital that a local link by means of the energy industry liaison unit is maintained in Aberdeen, and that close relationships with industry continue.
“Working alongside John has reaped tremendous benefits for my unit and he makes a valuable contribution to our team.
“We have always been able to call on industry advice but John’s secondment brings this relationship to a new level and allows for closer co-operation.”
She added: “Officers can be called on to deploy to installations or vessels at very short notice to investigate a variety of incidents, which could include sudden deaths, crime, accidents, fires and explosions.”
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