THE Independent Review on the impact of policing on affected communities in Scotland during the 1984/85 miners’ strike is holding an important meeting in Lochgelly next week.

The meeting at Lochgelly Centre, on Tuesday, is one of a series across Scotland that will ensure that review leader John Scott, QC Solicitor Advocate, and his Advisory Panel can hear about the experiences of people across Scotland.

The event at the Lochgelly Centre, will run between 6pm and 9pm, when members of the public are invited to share their experiences with John Scott and the Advisory Panel, which comprises Cowdenbeath man Dennis Canavan (former MP and MSP), Jim Murdoch (Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow) and Kate Thomson (former Assistant Chief Constable). There is no need to book a place in advance: members of the public are invited simply to go along on the night.

The Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area saw a strike committee in every community during the '84-85 dispute and each provided pickets for duties at collieries and opencast mines such as Cartmore in Lochgelly.

There were a series of clashes at Cartmore which saw the relationship between the pickets and officers on duty severely strained.

The evidence gathered will help inform the report and any recommendations made by the Group to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. The public events are running alongside the wider call for evidence, which was announced in September and is open until November 30.

John Scott, who leads the Independent Review, said: “If you were a miner, part of a mining community, a police officer or in some other way affected by, or involved in, the strike, I am really interested to hear about your experiences. If you can, please join us at one of these events, or respond to our call for evidence.”

On June 7 the then Cabinet Secretary for Justice made a statement to the Scottish Parliament, confirming the establishment of an Independent Review, to be led by John Scott QC Solicitor Advocate. The remit of the Review is to investigate and report on the impact of policing of the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike on affected communities in Scotland.