The outgoing chief constable of Police Scotland has said his force “is institutionally racist and discriminatory.”
Addressing a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) on Thursday, Sir Iain Livingstone said acknowledging the issue exists is “essential” to a commitment to champion equality and become “an anti-racist service.”
He warned that there is “no place” in Police Scotland for people who harbour prejudices, and that the behaviour of colleagues who have been found to hold such views is “utterly condemned.”
Livingstone’s statement was welcomed by Scottish politicians, with First Minister Humza Yousaf hailing it as “historic” and “monumental.”
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf visits Nova Innovation, in Edinburgh, on April 11, 2023. (Fraser Bremner – Pool/Getty Images)
It comes after the chief of the London Metropolitan Police refused to accept that his force was “institutionally racist.”…