Euan McColm: Who has any faith Police Scotland will ever solve the Nairn banker murder case?

It’s difficult to imagine the constant torment through which the family of Alistair Wilson are living.

Certainly, many of us will understand their grief and some will have had to, as they have, deal with the horror of losing a loved one through a criminal act.

But few – thank goodness – will ever experience what the family of the Nairn banker have over the past two decades.

As the 20th anniversary of a murder that shocked the nation approaches, Alistair’s widow, Veronica, and the couple’s two sons are no closer to learning who executed him on the doorstep of the family home.

That terrible uncertainty piled on top of grief means the idea the Wilsons can “move on” is fanciful. How can they possibly live normal lives while, all the time, knowing that the person who shot Alistair on November 28, 2004, might still be walking free?

Inevitably, the actions of Police Scotland have only made their agony worse.

Police Scotland handling of Alistair Wilson murder unsurprising

I use the word inevitably because we have surely passed the point at which the expectation is that our national police force will fail.

Last week, during his final appearance at First Minister’s Question Time as Scottish Conservative Party leader, Douglas Ross read out a statement made to the Press and Journal by Alistair’s son Andrew, who was just four when his father was slain.

Andrew expressed his family’s fury that Chief Constable Jo Farrell has spoken publicly about progress on the case when they’ve seen nothing of the sort.

It is worth considering Andrew’s words in full.

“It remains a mystery to us,” he said, “And we question why our family is still being kept in the dark while Jo Farrell is basking in the media spotlight as she talks of building bridges and providing confidence to our family.

“We don’t know whether Jo Farrell has been confused or perhaps even caught in a lie, but she has certainly failed to reassure us that she has a grip on this worsening situation.”

Farrell – as recent media appearances where she tried, hopelessly, to explain Police Scotland’s position on the recording of the biological sex of offenders showed us – seems more concerned with public image than public service.

She appears to have decided that her role is not to inspire those she leads but to protect them from the consequences of the force’s institutional failings.

Of course, First Minister John Swinney wanted nothing to do with this scandal. In an attempt to conceal his moral cowardice, Swinney fell back on the old “it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment” defence (deployed previously when it came to the subject of the recording of the sex of offenders) and said nothing of any value.

Swinney “welcomed” the news that a fresh probe into the murder had been launched but he wouldn’t be drawn on Farrell’s actions.

“Mr Ross,” said the First Minister, “will appreciate that the police operate with absolute operational independence from the government.

“It would be inappropriate of me to indicate any opinion on the stance taken by the chief constable. It is a matter for the chief constable to address.

“Certainly the first minister should not be indicating to the chief constable what actions she should be taking with a live investigation.”

This was very far from good enough.

First Minister should feel it’s his duty to criticise police failings

Nobody – not Douglas Ross, not the still-grieving family of Alistair Wilson – has suggested Swinney should tell the Chief Constable how to run a live investigation.

Instead, they have shone a light on terrible failings within Police Scotland.

The First Minister is not only entitled to criticise Police Scotland when it gets things wrong, he should consider it his duty to do so.

Veronica Wilson and her sons have been, at best, misinformed and, at worst, deliberately misled by officers involved in the case.

It would be easy to tar every serving police officer with the same brush but there are countless men and women on the frontline who want to get on with their vital work serving and protecting the public.

It is not their fault they work for an underfunded force, captured by gender ideologists, and led by senior officers seemingly more concerned about the feelings of criminals than the impact their offending has on victims.

Of course, the search for Alistair Wilson’s murderer must not end. But who can have any faith that Police Scotland will ever make an arrest?

Euan McColm is a regular columnist for various Scottish newspapers