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The chief constable has just told us about a rise in the number of assaults on Police Scotland officers by under-18s. Just last year, the SPA made a ruling that police cells were

“not an appropriate setting and not in the interests of the child”,

with the definition of “child” being a person under the age of 18.

Does that fairly profound and far-reaching position that the SPA arrived at have some bearing on the uptick in assaults on police officers by under-18s?

It has not been annual.

We have heard a lot about the work that has been done and about initiatives that are taking place. In no particular order, there is your leadership matters, there are wellbeing champions, there is Police Care UK, act don’t react, timelines, Thrivewise, TRiM, Vivup and a new occupational health contract. That confuses me and I dare say that a front-line police officer will not have the time even to begin getting their head around what that all means. Is there not a danger that it is overly complicated and should be streamlined? What is your view?

I was going to ask about those two contracts because they are both new. Your submission does not say who is providing the occupational health contract. Do you know who that is?

In its submission to the committee, Police Scotland says that

“we take steps to ensure that welfare provisions are in place and that investigations are concluded as quickly as possible.”

Is that a fair assessment?

How many hours would one of your members typically work?

Without putting a number on it, are you saying that it would not be unusual for your members to work typically more than 40 hours a week?

My colleague Sharon Dowey mentioned officer numbers being at their lowest for 17 years. We have initiatives and new training, and there is goodwill from the top down to address the officer mental health issue that we are here to talk about. However, is it not the reality that a lot of that will count for nothing because of the increased pressures that officers will inevitably experience, and that you are effectively running to stand still?

Right, sorry.

The committee has heard evidence from suspended officers who say that they were isolated, ostracised and kept in the dark over prolonged periods of time. That has resulted in poor mental health, attempted suicides and even suicides. Do you think that enough has been done to ensure their welfare? That is probably a question for David Threadgold.

Does Police Scotland know how many of those 20 tragic deaths have been subject to a fatal accident inquiry?