Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00184/21
The Complaints
The complaints in this case arose from the manner in which police officers interacted with the applicant during his arrest and time in police custody. We have reviewed the handling of five complaints, namely that:
Police officers used excessive force by striking the applicant with a baton and restraining him on the ground, which caused him difficulty breathing;
The applicant was not provided with water whilst in police custody;
The applicant was not provided with adequate food whilst in police custody;
The applicant was not permitted access to his medication whilst in police custody; and
The applicant was not informed that there was a live [named police force] warrant for his apprehension whilst he was in police custody.
Police Scotland’s Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold any of the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled all of the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard.
However, we have made a recommendation to address an administrative shortcoming by Police Scotland. Our recommendation should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Outcome
Police Scotland implemented the recommendation that we made in this case. In doing so, they recorded the applicant’s complaints relating to his time in custody as separate complaints about the police and updated the CAP record accordingly.
Police Bodies : Police Scotland