Report - Police Scotland - PIRC/00021/24
The Complaint
The complaints in this case arose after the applicant reported that he was the victim of an assault and theft. Officers attended and took a statement from the applicant. He reported that the incident took place on a street outside NHS premises and provided a description of the assailants. Although there appeared to be CCTV cameras covering the scene of the incident, CCTV footage of the incident was not recovered.
We have reviewed the handling of one complaint, namely that:
Police Scotland did not recover CCTV to assist with their investigation into the assault and theft the applicant reported on 16 August 2023.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold the applicant’s complaint.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland did not handle the applicant’s complaint to a reasonable standard.
Consequently, we have made a recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaint. In summary, we have asked Police Scotland to re-assess the categorisation of the complaint and provide the applicant with a further, well-reasoned, response which gives a clear rationale for the conclusion reached.
We have also identified a learning point in relation to Police Scotland’s administration of the complaint.
Our recommendation and learning point should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland