Sir Stephen House to quit as Police Scotland chief

Sir Stephen had been under mounting pressure after it took officers three days to respond to a fatal car crash on the M9.

He also came under fire for the use of armed officers on routine patrols and the force’s stop-and-search policy on young people.

Sir Stephen had been expected to leave his post in September 2016, after his four-year contract was up, but now appears likely to quit his role by the start of December.