News

28 June2010
NEW COUNTER TERRORISM CO-ORDINATOR APPOINTED

THE importance placed on combating the threat from terrorists by Scotland’s Chief Constables and the Scottish Government is reflected in their support of the unique role of counter terrorism co-ordinator.

That role is to be carried out by Assistant Chief Constable Colin McCashey who was previously head of CID at Tayside Police, and more recently the Police Commander at Dundee. He has served with distinction for 28 years.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Government share the cost of ACC McCashey’s role which provides a focus for a range of counter terrorism activities in Scotland.

He will also be responsible for representing ACPOS at national and international level in the counter terrorism field and for liaising with a wide range of partners in law enforcement and government.

ACC McCashey said: “This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for me and one which is unique in British policing. The Chief Constables have identified counter terrorism as one of their key strategic priorities and I will be doing all that I can to ensure that the people of Scotland are protected from the terrorist threat.

“We have seen in the United Kingdom in recent years that the threat can come from within our communities as well as from overseas and part of my role will be to work with communities across Scotland to ensure that there is clear two-way communication and that concerns are identified and addressed.”

Chief Constable Stephen House of Strathclyde Police, chair of the ACPOS crime business area, said: “The appointment of a senior officer to co-ordinate our counter terrorist activities in Scotland is a clear indication of the importance we place on this aspect of law enforcement. There has been a huge amount of work done by the forces in Scotland to make our communities safer and that work will continue.

“The current threat level is assessed as severe which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.  That state of affairs is reason enough to stress that the Chief Constables working with our partners will do everything possible to protect the people of Scotland.”

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “I very much welcome the appointment of Colin McCashey as the ACPOS Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism.

“The Scottish Government is fully committed to working with the police and other partners to tackle the threat from terrorism and Colin is an excellent choice.  I look forward to working with him to take forward all the strands of work needed to ensure that Scotland remains safe from terrorism.”