Phil Gormley set for face-to-face talks with senior Police Scotland colleagues
New Police Scotland chief constable Phil Gormley will travel north next week to meet with his senior management team for the first time since his appointment.
Gormley, a former deputy director general of the National Crime Agency, will hold internal meetings from Monday ahead of taking up post on 5 January.
It is understood he will meet with Andrew Flanagan, chair of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), during his couple of days north of the border.
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However, a sit-down with Justice Secretary Michael Matheson isn’t planned, given the two met shortly before his appointment as Sir Stephen House’s successor.
His visit will coincide with Scotland's current top officer - in charge until Gormley takes over next month - going before a Scottish Parliament committee over the recent police spying row.
Gormley, who has never worked in Scottish policing before, recently left the NCA after announcing his decision to retire in March of this year.
He was on holiday in Cuba last week when the SPA were forced to speed up the announcement on his appointment after news reports revealed he had been successful.
A former chief constable of Norfolk Police, Gormley was one of three to be interviewed for the post alongside Police Scotland deputy chief constables Iain Livingston and Neil Richardson.
On Tuesday, Richardson will appear before Holyrood’s Justice Committee over Police Scotland’s breach of spying rules to identify journalists’ sources.
MSPs agreed to hold a one-off evidence session after “serious questions” were raised by the official surveillance watchdog.
The Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office (IOCCO) confirmed Police Scotland breached the watchdog’s code of practice on five occasions when seeking communications data.
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