The people of Tayside, Fife and Central will benefit from improved access to specialist police support with the creation of the single Scottish police service, the force’s chief constable said on a visit to Dundee.
Stephen House called at the Tayside area headquarters to speak to senior personnel on the first day of the 17,000 strong Police Service of Scotland.
He visited the Fife area headquarters in Glenrothes and St Andrews but said he was not touring the country to deliver a message that there would be a dramatic change.
The average person on the street would see no difference to the model of community and response policing, he said, at which the former Tayside force as an example did a very good job.
“We are trying to maintain the same good service that has been delivered, and reinforce the strength and depth of community policing across Scotland,” he said.
“What we are confident we can improve on is access, when it is needed, to specialist police support in areas like major investigation teams, roads policing and a national rape investigation task force who will work alongside domestic abuse task forces,” he said.
“The task force will not deal with every rape or domestic abuse incident, but it is a team where there are very experienced officers who have dealt with these offences, know the right techniques, can advise on good practice and who can come in and help in difficult cases.
Mr House said the new national force had the resources it needed from day one although some support systems like Information Technology had not yet been integrated.
The eight forces had handed over a legacy of crime at a 37-year low.
“There are already a number of key support systems common to all eight forces and these will continue,” he said.