Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00262/25
The Complaints
The complaint in this case after officers asked the applicant to provide a specimen of breath and she refused to do so. The applicant was arrested, conveyed to a police office, charged and thereafter released on a police undertaking to appear in court. We have reviewed the handling of four complaints, namely that:
On 30 November 2024, at a named police office, officers told the applicant verbally that she was required to sign a document to be released; but the applicant did not understand what she was being asked to sign,
On the same date and in the same police office, officers took the applicant’s prescribed medication on her arrest and returned it, together with other personal belongings, on her release,
On the same date and in the same police office, the applicant repeatedly informed officers that she required medication for a health condition and failing to take the medication has a detrimental impact on her ability to understand and process information,
On the same date and in the same police office, the applicant was not provided with a copy of her rights in an accessible format on arrest, in custody or on release.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold any of the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled complaint 2 to a reasonable standard, but not so complaints 1, 3 and 4.
We have made three recommendations and identified two learning points to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland conduct any further necessary and proportionate enquiries and provide the applicant with fresh responses. Our learning points relate to the importance of noting statements of complaint and conducting proportionate investigation.
Our recommendations and learning points should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland