Andy Mather
Police Scotland Inspector, Transport Scotland LiaisonInspector Andy Mather, Transport Scotland Liaison for Police Scotland’s Road Policing Division
Inspector Mather joined legacy Central Scotland Police in 1994 and was posted to Grangemouth and Bo’ness police stations. In 1998, he began his road policing career based at Stirling. He gained experience in managing serious incidents in both motorway and rural environments, including the policing response to severe weather events.
He achieved qualifications as:
- An Advanced Driver
- Motorcyclist
- Driving Instructor
- Collision Investigator
- and Senior Investigating Officer for road deaths.
Following his promotion to Sergeant in 2004, he was posted to operational duties at Falkirk. He returned to Road Policing in 2008 to lead the newly formed Armed Response Unit, combining his other specialisms as an Authorised Firearms Officer/Commander.
Following the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, Inspector Mather moved closer to home in Fife. He was promoted to Head of Fife Road Policing in August 2018 and moved to his current role in March 2021. He was the lead Road Policing planner and Convoy Commander for Operation Unicorn during September 2022.
As Transport Scotland Liaison officer, Inspector Mather has reviewed police severe weather response plans and supports key partners during planning/preparation in response to Met Office severe weather warnings. He leads the creation and circulation of Police Travel Advice (PTA) notices and supports the Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) when activated by Transport Scotland.
My Speaker Sessions
Thursday 20 April 2023
Policing the Weather - Severe Weather Messaging / Travel Advice
Police Scotland and Transport Scotland work closely with the Met Office to monitor winter weather and how this may impact on the Trunk Road Network. This is achieved by daily liaison with an embedded Met Office representative at the Traffic Scotland National Control Centre. This provides advanced information on potential weather warnings and permits a structured and scaleable response to any impact on the road infrastructure.
Transport Scotland convenes severe weather planning meetings which involve Trunk Road Operating Companies. This provides an opportunity to share independent weather forecasts and discuss proactive plans to mitigate weather effects on the roads. It also provides the platform to discuss whether a Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) should be activated for the duration of the event.
Police Scotland and Transport Scotland will thereafter decide whether a Police Travel Advice (PTA) notice will be issued in support of the Met Office warning. PTA’s are scaleable to reflect the severity of the weather warning and are supported by Transport/Traffic/Police Scotland communications across multiple media platforms. The effectiveness of all winter weather messaging and deployments by Operating Companies are continually reviewed to ensure maximum effectiveness is achieved in keeping our roads safe.
