Last weekend, Neil Mackay reported on calls by the head of the Police Federation for greater access to firearms for officers. The response has been pitiful, he argues.

The debate around whether or not Scottish police officers should have greater access to firearms has been pitiful since the moment the story broke in the Herald last Sunday.

Those on the left immediately attacked the notion, while those on the right immediately lent their support. It was a case of ‘cops are baddies’ on one side, and ‘lets shoot some baddies’ on the other.

Neither side was interested in the substance of the debate. Each simply chose a preordained position which was the best fit for their own particular brand of siloed ideological purity.

The media response was no better. A discussion on BBC Radio Scotland on Sunday included the unedifying moment an alleged commentator said that the calls for greater access to firearms came with no context. 

The Herald on Sunday carried a 4000 word in-depth report on the issue, as well as a shorter 1000 word news story to summarise the main talking points. 

I’m not sure what greater context is required from a newspaper. A separate supplement, perhaps?

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The call for greater access to firearms emerged during lengthy discussions I had with David Kennedy, the head of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98% of serving officers.

Kennedy was discussing the SPF’s new manifesto for wide-ranging police reform ahead of the forthcoming Scottish........

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