Our business

Commissioner’s Foreword 

I am delighted to have taken up my appointment as Scotland’s Police Investigations and Review Commissioner on 1 April 2025.

It is my role to provide independent oversight of policing in Scotland, hold policing bodies to account, and support learning and improvement in the service delivered to the public.

I would like to thank my predecessor, Michelle Macleod CBE, for her leadership of PIRC and the valuable contribution she made to policing during her almost six-year tenure. Ms Macleod guided PIRC through both the pandemic and a period in which PIRC’s remit was extended and its workload increased. This annual report relates to 2024-25, Ms Macleod’s final year in office.

At PIRC, we often cannot speak publicly about the detail of the cases we investigate and the complaints we review.

We are often providing a service to people in the most circumstances, including those who have lost a loved one, have been the victim of a crime or feel they have been failed by the police.

Scrutinising policing is essential - not only for their benefit, but for communities across Scotland as well.

As Commissioner, my focus will be ensuring that we continue to deliver an excellent quality of service to them, while also identifying good practice and highlighting where improvement in policing is needed.

This annual report presents an opportunity for me to not only reflect on all that has been achieved by PIRC over the past year, but also to set out some of the significant challenges ahead and the steps we must take to ensure PIRC meets the needs and expectations of those we serve.

In 2024-25, we not only met but exceeded our strategic objectives. This is despite our workload having increased significantly since PIRC was established in 2013. 

In the 12 years between 2013-14 and 2024-25, referrals to our investigations team rose by 263%, while the number of investigations taken forward rose by 375%. Meanwhile, the number of applications for complaint handling reviews (CHRs) fell by 22%, but the number of individual complaint allegations assessed by our reviews team rose by 68%.

Nonetheless, in 2024-25, we have continued to carry out thorough and timely investigations of incidents involving policing bodies. We assessed 92% of referrals within five working days, exceeding our target of 90%. We completed and reported 100% of Category A investigations within 90 working days, and 98% of Category B and C investigations within 120 working days, both exceeding targets of 80%.

We have continued to carry out thorough and timely CHRs. This year, PIRC assessed 99% of CHR applications within five working days, exceeding our target of 90%. We concluded 99% of CHRs within 90 working days. This exceeded our target of 80%. We also audited Police Scotland’s complaints handling process, making 10 recommendations for improvement.

We have supported, valued and invested in our staff. Our latest staff survey, carried out in 2024, shows that staff have a clear understanding of PIRC’s objectives and feel proud of the work we do.

The survey also highlighted where we can make improvements. We are already seeing good work in areas such as training and more efficient processes being created. 

This effort is underpinned by our internal staff groups, which provide an opportunity to shape policy development, internal culture, wellbeing activities and workplace inclusivity.

We launched our Equality Strategy in December 2024 to support our aim of being an organisation where service users, staff and partners feel welcomed, listened to and respected.

In 2024-25, we worked to strengthen independent investigations and oversight of complaints.

Following Lady Angiolini’s review of complaints handling, investigations and misconduct issues, we have worked with criminal justice partners to implement those recommendations that did not require legislation.

PIRC also contributed to the Scottish Parliament’s consideration of the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill, which took forward those recommendations made by Lady Angiolini requiring legislation.

We have transformed our digital presence to increase transparency, support accessibility and improve engagement. The modernisation of our online CHR process for members of the public has been essential in delivering our desire to be as accessible to the communities of Scotland as we can be. 

This level of service to the public and referring agencies has been achieved by our exceptional staff. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts and commitment.

But there is no doubt that we are now facing unprecedented challenges.

Between January and March 2025, PIRC experienced a sharp increase of 239% in the number of investigations commenced. This increase in workload has continued into 2025-26. It was prompted by a ruling by the Court of Appeal in late 2024 which clarified the law on corroboration. This has resulted in a significantly higher proportion of cases referred to PIRC now proceeding to investigation.

We are projecting a 250% increase in CHR applications from members of the public. This follows data shared by Police Scotland showing that, as well as over 600 live complaints, it has a backlog of over 1,050 unallocated complaints with another 525 complaints awaiting assessment by National Complaints Assessment and Resolution Unit (NCARU). It is expected that efforts by Police Scotland to address this backlog, including securing funding to appoint 26 additional complaint handlers, will result in PIRC experiencing an increase in demand for CHRs.

In addition, the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Act 2025 will expand our role and remit even further.

My concern is that this additional pressure on PIRC’s finite resources risks compromising the service we provide to the public, referring agencies and stakeholders.

While PIRC’s staff are working hard to preserve our quality of service, these increases in workload are simply beyond our current capacity. It is inevitable that performance against our strategic objectives, particularly our ability to deliver investigations and reviews within reasonable timescales, will decline.

At PIRC, we are exploring how best to address these challenges. We have already taken steps to streamline and modernise processes, and to allocate resource where it is most needed.

In respect of complaints handling, we have invested significant time in preventive strategies including training and supporting police complaint handlers to improve their practice – with a view to reducing future demand for CHR applications.

These steps will help us work more efficiently to manage demand. However, they will not be sufficient on their own.

Without additional resource, it is unlikely that we will continue to deliver the level of service that the public and others expect. We are therefore currently engaged in constructive discussions with the Scottish Government about our resource allocation. We appreciate that this is challenging given the financial pressures in the public sector.

Despite the challenges that lie ahead, I have been encouraged by the efforts of PIRC’s staff to continue to deliver their role to a high standard. 

To help PIRC meet these challenges, we have embarked on our first ever strategic review. This will help us identify and assess the major changes in our strategic landscape.

As well as our increased demand, the review will consider the impact of developments such as the introduction by Police Scotland of body worn video (BWV) and the emergence of artificial intelligence. 

The review’s findings will enable us to assess how we can fulfil our statutory duties and provide an effective service to the public and referring agencies, while also safeguarding the wellbeing of our staff. 

The review is a significant undertaking, but this investment in developing a long-term, sustainable plan for our future is necessary. It will help set our strategic vision and objectives for the years ahead, so that we continue to provide robust, independent oversight of policing and support improvements in the policing service provided to the public.

Laura Paton
Commissioner