Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaint

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant made reports to the police about his ex-partner.

We have reviewed the handling of three complaints, namely that:

1. In 2022, a named officer hung up the phone when the applicant said that the system was gender biased and the officer was unable to provide a reason why the applicant’s report of perjury had not been investigated properly;
2. Between April 2021 and May 2022, the applicant variously tried to report perjury to police, yet officers failed to record and investigate his report until 30 May 2022 when an investigation was instigated; and
3. Since 2021, the applicant has provided CCTV footage and text messages which show his ex-partner was stalking him, but this has never been investigated by the police.

Police Scotland's Decision

Police Scotland did not uphold any of the applicant’s complaints. 

Our Findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard.

However, we have identified an individual learning point in relation to maintaining auditable records within complaint files. 

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

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented the learning point made in this case. In doing so, they appropriately disseminated learning to the complaint enquiry officer about the importance of maintaining auditable records during a complaint enquiry. Confirmation of this learning being accepted was provided by the officer’s line manager.

Police Bodies: Police Scotland