The chair of Scotland's police watchdog has quit - just days after the to account.
Susan Deacon, who was appointed two years ago, informed the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) board members at a meeting yesterday and sent her resignation to Justice Secretary Humza Yousef.
She told the board she believes there are deep-rooted flaws in the system and it needs to be reformed.
Her resignation comes just days after the SPA was criticised by committee members at a Scottish Parliament meeting this week when it was revealed senior police officers have become frustrated by the lack of scrutiny by the regulator.
Gill Imery, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, told the committee Chief Constable Iain Livingstone had asked her to inspect functions at Police Scotland because the police authority had not done so.
Vice Chair David Crichton, who will step in until a new Chair is appointed, said: “The Members of the Authority wish to acknowledge the significant contribution that Susan Deacon has made as Chair of the SPA over the past two years. She took up the role at a period of considerable instability in the police service.
"That Police Scotland now has a strong, resilient leadership team in place is testimony to her contribution to the improvement of policing in that period.
“We believe that the system of governance and accountability for policing in Scotland that was envisaged by the founding legislation is a sound one and can work effectively. Members of the Authority are fully committed to taking forward the range of work required within the SPA and with other partners to do so.
“While we respect this personal decision of the Chair, our collective focus will be on working together with our dedicated staff team to build on recent progress, deliver the actions and improvements already identified, and redouble the SPA’s focus on the issues of greatest importance to policing and the public.”
Earlier this year suddenly quit just six months after he was appointed.
Following his departure pressure grew on the watchdog to be more transparent. Her departure means more upheaval at the heart of Scotland’s policing.
As well as several changes at the top of the SPA, Police Scotland has been dogged by controversy and has seen a number of senior officers, including two chief constables, leave under a cloud.
Ex-Labour health minister Deacon was ushered in under a Government vow to bring “a fresh perspective to the governance of Scottish policing”.
Describing her view on transparency when she took the role, she said “sometimes it means actually not putting information in the public domain because too much detail can cloud understanding”.
Former SPA chairman Andrew Flanagan resigned in 2017 amid criticism from MSPs.
The organisation has had a turbulent history since its first chairman, Vic Emery, had a number of public rows with controversial chief constable Stephen House and left the job in 2015.
House also quit, having been at the centre of a number of scandals.
The troubled authority had to oversee the public fallout from five accusations of bullying levelled against former chief constable Phil Gormley, who was not suspended immediately when allegations emerged.
