1

Subject to the provisions of any amalgamation scheme, a police force shall be maintained for every region and for every islands area, and the provisions of this Act shall have effect in relation to any police force so maintained and to the constables thereof.

21A Alteration of local government areas.

1

Subject to subsection (2) below, an amalgamation scheme may be approved or made under this Act with respect to two or more police areas—

a

to be established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973,

b

which are proposed to be altered by an order under section 17 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973,

and subject to subsection (3) below, may be so approved or made before the relevant date.

2

The Secretary of State shall make an amalgamation scheme under this Act before the relevant date for the police areas comprised in each of the combined areas set out in the following table—

Table

Combined area	Police areas comprised
South-eastern	Borders and Lothian
Northern	Highland and the Islands Areas.

3

A scheme under this section shall not come into force before the relevant date except so far as it relates to the constitution of the joint police committee and to the performance by that committee of functions necessary for bringing the scheme into full operation on that date.

4

In relation to an amalgamation scheme to be approved or made by virtue of this section, sections 19, 20 and 21 of this Act shall apply subject to any necessary modifications except that subsections (2) to (5) of the said section 20 shall not apply where the scheme is made by the Secretary of State before 16th May 1975 by virtue of subsection (2) above.

5

In this section “the relevant date” means, in relation to an amalgamation scheme approved or made as mentioned in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) or in subsection (2) above, 16th May 1975, and, in relation to an amalgamation scheme approved or made as mentioned in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) above, the date on which the order mentioned in that paragraph comes into force.

23 Chief constables affected by amalgamations or local government reorganisations.

1

If the chief constable of a police force which ceases to exist in consequence of an amalgamation scheme, or an order under section 216 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, is not appointed as from the date when that police force ceases to exist—

a

chief constable of the new force, or

b

constable of any rank in any other police force which exists on that date,

he shall on that date become a constable of the new force (or, if there is more than one new force established by the amalgamation scheme or order, of such one of them as may be provided by the scheme or order) by virtue of this subsection.

2

While a person is a constable of a police force by virtue only of subsection (1) above he shall hold the rank of assistant chief constable, but shall be treated for the purposes of his pay, pension and other conditions of service as if he had continued to be chief constable of the force which ceased to exist.

3

A chief constable who becomes a constable of a police force by virtue of subsection (1) above shall, subject to regulations under Part II of this Act, cease to be a constable thereof at the expiration of three months unless he has then accepted and taken up an appointment in that force in some other capacity.

4

The provision to be made by regulations under section 24 of the Superannuation Act 1972 or section 219 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 with respect to the chief constable of a police force who, after becoming a constable of another police force by virtue of subsection (1) above, ceases to be a constable of that force without having accepted and taken up an appointment in that force in a capacity other than that of chief constable shall, if he was the chief constable of a police force on 15th May 1975, be not less favourable than any provision by way of pension that would have been payable to or in respect of him by virtue of the Police Pensions Act 1948 had the first-mentioned police force been combined with another force by an amalgamation scheme under the Police (Scotland) Act 1956 and he had neither been transferred to the combined force nor agreed to continue to serve therein in a capacity other than that of chief constable within three months; and section 2(1)(b) of the Police Pensions Act 1948 shall not apply to a constable who is first appointed a chief constable on or after 16th May 1975 and who is allected by this section.

5

The relevant authority shall offer the chief constable of a police force which ceases to exist on 16th May 1975 (other than a chief constable who has been appointed the chief constable of a new force) an appointment to take effect not later than 16th August 1975 at the rank of assistant chief constable in the relevant new force.

6

In this section—

“new force” has the same meaning as it has for the purposes of Schedule 2 to this Act;

“relevant authority” means the police authority or, as the case may be, the joint police committee responsible for the appointment of the chief constable of the relevant new force;

“relevant new force” means the new force to which the majority of the constables of a police force which ceases to exist on 16th May 1975 are transferred.