Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after Police Scotland searched the applicant’s home and work premises under warrant. We have reviewed the handling of 19 complaints, namely that:

1. in June 2021, Police Scotland failed to investigate the applicant’s report of fraud;
2. Police Scotland failed to provide adequate updates to the applicant regarding death threats he reported in June 2021;
3. Police Scotland failed to investigate the applicant’s report that notices had been put up in public places about his previous contact with the police;
4. Police Scotland failed to update the applicant on their investigation after his home and place of work were searched under warrant;
5. Police Scotland did not provide the applicant with a detailed list of property seized during searches carried out at his home and place of work;
6. a police officer provided confidential information about the applicant to a member of the public;
7. on 19 May 2021 police officers searched the applicant’s place of work unlawfully;
8. a police officer deliberately withheld information from the applicant regarding property seized during police searches;
9. a police officer disconnected CCTV after searching the applicant’s place of work after saying it would remain on;
10. a police officer lied to the applicant by saying she would note his statement;
11. a police officer lied to the applicant by saying she would pick up CCTV and letters from him;
12. a police officer lied to the applicant by saying CCTV would remain on at his work premises;
13. a police officer lied to the applicant by saying this his computer equipment and phones would be returned to him in two weeks;
14. a police officer lied to the applicant by saying she had only seized original documents;
15. police officers caused damage during a search of the applicant’s home;
16. police officers caused damage during a search of the applicant’s work premises;
17. police officers left the applicant’s shed and gate insecure at his home;
18. police officers left the applicant’s work premises insecure; and
19. police officers deliberately shut the applicant’s cat in a bedroom after searching his home. 

Police Scotland’s Decision

Police Scotland did not uphold complaints 1 – 16, 18 or 19 but upheld complaint 17.

Our Findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled sixteen of the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard. These are complaints 1 – 10, 12, 14, 15 and 17 – 19. Three of the applicant’s complaints were not handled to a reasonable standard. These are  complaints 11, 13 and 16.

Consequently, we have made a recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of  complaint 11. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland carries out further enquiry and thereafter provides the applicant with a further response to this complaints.  We have not made a recommendation regarding the handling of complaints 13 and 16.

We have made two further recommendations about the way in which some of the complaints were initially recorded.

Our recommendations should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented two administrative recommendations about the way the complaints had initially been recorded. Police Scotland also implemented a third recommendation to contact the applicant in order to clarify the precise nature of one of the complaints, however the applicant did not respond.

Police Bodies : Police Scotland