Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant made allegations of stalking, threatening behaviour and vandalism against her ex-partner. We have reviewed the handling of eleven complaints, namely that:

1. the applicant waited 90 minutes for the police to attend a reported incident after she had called 999;
2. Police Scotland either does not have IT capabilities to identify escalating risk, or there has been an error in the data input by Police Scotland staff between February and July 2022;
3. the applicant was turned away by a female officer when she attended to provide a document of escalating risk;
4. the same female officer was dismissive and unwilling to help the applicant, other than refer the applicant’s report onto the officer dealing with her initial report to the police;
5. the applicant received conflicting information from Police Scotland about reporting incidents;
6. the applicant is dissatisfied by the length of time taken by the police to retrieve data from a mobile network provider regarding calls she received from an unknown number; 
7. officers have not yet attended to note a statement from a nurse at the applicant’s father’s nursing home; 
8. no one has been arrested or charged in relation to the phone calls that the applicant received from a private number because of the request for comms data having to go through “many layers of police hierarchy”; 
9. the applicant received a lack of contact and updates from Police Scotland between February and December 2022; 
10. it took officers 3 weeks to apprehend the applicant’s ex-partner, despite the fact he is a recurrent offender and his details are already known to the police; and
11. there was a delay in police providing the applicant with an update that her ex-partner had been arrested, and that he had been released on bail.

Police Scotland’s Decision

Police Scotland upheld complaint 5. The remaining complaints were not upheld.

Our Findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled complaints 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 to a reasonable standard but not so complaints 3, 4, 7 and 11. We have also highlighted a shortcoming in Police Scotland’s administration of the applicant’s complaints. 

Consequently, we have made four recommendations and two learning point to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland undertakes further necessary proportionate enquiries, following which a further response should be provided to the applicant.

Police Bodies : Police Scotland