Merkinch Community Council at its February meeting was so dismayed to learn of the transfer of Chief Superintendent Ramsay McGhee of Inverness Area Command to Head of Operations at Police HQ that it was agreed to write to the Chief Constable expressing its disappointment after the good relations that CS McGhee had built up with the people of Merkinch over his two years in the post. News & Views went to speak to the policeman who has made a difference in Merkinch...
RAMSAY McGhee joined the former Ross & Sutherland police force in 1973 and has steadily progressed through the ranks. Not that he has spent all that time in the Highlands: for three years he was seconded to the Police Training College at Tulliallan, and again for three years he was based at the Home Office in London.
The responsibilities of the man in the hot seat at Burnett Road cover a very wide area - some 3000 square kilometres - from Fort Augustus to Dalcross airport, and from Beauly to Tomatin. The West Sector, which Merkinch comes under, is just one of three sectors in the Area, the other two being East Sector and Town Centre.
Ramsay made a point of finding out what people throughout the Command area wanted and expected from their police force. This he did by consulting widely with community councils and residents’ groups as well as elected members of Highland Council, MPs and MSPs. This was backed up by an independent consultants’ survey.
“The priority for Inverness folk is dealing with the antisocial element,” he said. Merkinch has its problems - but most of the people are the salt of the earth, and only want peace and quiet to get on with their lives.
“We have identified distinct problems in the West Sector and we’re tackling them in various ways. But the police can’t do it all on their own; we need help.” He pinpoints the kind of cooperation the police need from the public:
In late January a covert exercise began in the area to combat the rising theft of cars and from cars. “We’ve been stopping anything and everything in the West Sector, particularly in Merkinch,” says Ramsay.
By following up on anything suspicious that cropped up and on any information gleaned in the course of this exercise, a wide range of charges have been made or are pending. These range from drinking and driving, and driving while disqualified, to drugs offences, shoplifting and other thefts. “We started on a high profile and though you might not see a massive presence now we are still following up on the ripples. The exercise has had significant success,” he said.
Another beneficial trend is the improved cooperation between the various agencies that are involved, such as housing, social work, the police, protective services, health and so forth. “We all have to work together. There is now a lot of interactivity between agencies - they are beginning to come together better.”
A common complaint from people is that the police “do nothing“. “The reality is,” says Ramsay, “that before we can ‘do anything’ we have to have evidence that will stand up in court.
“We often find that when we arrive at an incident people who may well have valuable information will clam up for fear of retribution.
“However, the fact is that the more people are prepared to stand up and be counted, the more chance there is of ridding the area of the antisocial element.”
If the law-abiding folk of Merkinch are sorry to see Ramsay go, he himself is not without his regrets.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all the people I’ve been in contact with in the last two years, and I’ve enjoyed the many challenges of the post. But in my new role I will still have a remit to oversee operations in the area, so I won’t be totally removed from the Merkinch.”
Succeeding CS McGhee at Inverness Area Command is Caithness-born Superintendent Garry Sutherland, who came from being in charge of the Performance Service Unit at HQ.