Sir Stephen House to stand down as Police Scotland chief constable

Sir Stephen House is to stand down from his post as Police Scotland chief constable.

The former Strathclyde Police chief constable has come under pressure in recent months to consider his position.

He had been expected to leave the force when his contract expires next year but is to announce at today’s Scottish Police Authority meeting that he will leave in three months time.

The Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said House had made a “monumental contribution to policing”. 

Scottish Labour last month tabled a parliamentary motion calling for House to resign with “immediate effect” following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell in a crash on the M9 motorway near Stirling.

The pair were found by officers three days after an initial call was made to Police Scotland which reported their car was off the road.

The single force, which went live in April 2013, has also faced criticism over matters such as armed policing and stop and search.

Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said: “Sir Stephen has made a monumental contribution to policing. He has delivered the most significant public sector restructuring in a generation against a background of a brutal austerity agenda.

“He has delivered some very impressive policing results on crimes of violence, particularly domestic violence. I have little doubt that history will prove to be kinder to Sir Stephen than the current commentary which at times has been vindictive and deeply personal.

“Many people feared that a single police service could be susceptible to political interference and those who have called for the head of the chief constable as some form of trophy need to consider that.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the departure of the chief constable now means there is a “urgent need for a wider inquiry into the operation of Police Scotland”. 

“Decapitating the chief constable won’t solve the deep rooted problems in Police Scotland. A new chief carrying on as if nothing is wrong will cement the problems rather than solve them,” he said.

“The early resignation of chief constable Stephen House reveals the chaos at the heart of Police Scotland. Yet, this isn’t about the job of one man at the top but recovering the fortunes of the wider police force which is in the doldrums.”