Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaint

The complaint in this case arose after the applicant made complaints about the police investigation and the report submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) following reports that the applicant had committed sexual offences. In December 2021, a sergeant in Police Scotland’s National Complaints Assessment and Resolution Unit (NCARU) spoke with the applicant by phone, provided information to him, and closed his case having assessed it to have been resolved by way for Frontline Resolution (FLR). In 2024, following trial, the applicant was convicted of thirteen offences against four women, and sentenced to a 12-year custodial sentence. In early 2025, The applicant wrote to Police Scotland complaining that he had not heard further about the complaints he made in 2021.

We have reviewed the handling of the following complaint, namely that:

•    the applicant did not hear from Police Scotland in relation to the complaint he raised on 29 November 2021.

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 shortcoming in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaint. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland ensure that the applicant’s original complaints are properly recorded and investigated. Thereafter, he should be provided with a well-reasoned response to those complaints.

We have also identified a learning point relative to Police Scotland’s administration of the complaints.

Police Bodies: Police Scotland