Islands “black hole” on animal welfare protection

​Calum Watt, who was in the post for 33 years, had the legal authorisation as senior inspector to independently report cases of animal cruelty and neglect directly to the Procurator Fiscal, as well as responding to calls for help and dealing with general welfare concerns.

He retired in November 2023 and this week he revealed to the Gazette that his post has not been replaced, claiming bosses had reneged on a promise to do so, with the result, he said, of a “massive big hole” in the system.

Calum branded it “crazy” and “madness” for the SSPCA to have nobody in the Western Isles who was trained up and authorised to report cases to the Crown Office. There are two auxiliary inspectors in post but Calum said they had “no teeth” as they lack authority, given under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, to report cases.

Calum said: “Since I’ve gone, there is not a full-time qualified SSPCA officer who is a reporting agent to the fiscal, which to me is crazy.” He questioned why this post was “no longer necessary” when it had been deemed “essential” for 33 years.

He admitted: “When I retired, I was raging with SSPCA HQ. I left to make the space available for somebody else to come in and I fully expected a full-time inspector to come in. They pulled the wool over my eyes when it came to me leaving.”

Calum stressed the auxiliary inspectors were “doing a good job”, as far as their powers allow – but these powers are limited.

“They definitely do not have the certificate that gives them the powers to investigate animal cruelty. I wash my hands of the SSPCA really. I did my 33 years of public service to the island. I was told that I was being replaced and they left the two auxiliaries to cover. They left a massive big hole.”

The SSPCA is an independent reporting agency and Calum said he frequently worked with police on joint cases. But now there was no longer anyone on the ground “other than the police” – with all their overstretched resources – to “pick up the pieces” and report cruelty cases.

The SSPCA confirmed they had not replaced the senior inspector when he retired.

A spokesperson said: “At the time of the retirement of the authorised Inspector, a decision was made not to replace ‘like for like’ based on workloads and the number of investigations which were carried out which resulted in a case being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

"As a charity, we must ensure that donor funds are spent in the most appropriate, efficient way and this is a model which we have adopted in other remote and island areas with great success.

“Currently we have two Auxiliary Inspectors in the Western Isles who can deal with all animal welfare related incidents which are reported to our Animal Helpline including injured animals, investigating reports of neglect and cruelty, offering advice and guidance to animal owners and ensuring that the welfare of animals is secure."

The spokesperson continued: “Where neither Auxiliary Inspector is available, we always have a Chief Inspector or Acting Chief Inspector available to give those seeking our assistance the appropriate advice.

"This can range from advising to take the animal to the local vet, seeking assistance from Police Scotland or other reputable organisation as well as advice and guidance which we can provide over the telephone.”