Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00131/23
The Complaints
The complaint in this case arose when Police Scotland arrested the applicant after he had taken an epileptic seizure. We have reviewed the handling of three complaints, namely that:
the applicant was inappropriately handcuffed;
the handcuffs were excessively tight; and
it was inappropriate for officers to place the applicant in the cage area of the police van.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled complaints 1 and 3 to a reasonable standard but not so complaint 2.
Consequently, we have made a single recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of complaint 2. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland conduct further enquiries into the complaint and provide the applicant with a further response.
Police Scotland should implement our within two months of the date of this report.
Outcome
Police Scotland implemented the recommendation in this case. In doing so, Police Scotland conducted further enquiries by obtaining additional accounts from the officers involved. Police Scotland also provided a further response which was well reasoned. Although the complaint remained ‘not upheld’, Police Scotland identified learning in respect of maintaining records.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland