Complaint Handling Reviews

The complaints

The complaints in this case arose after officers attended at the applicant’s address in relation to reports of a disturbance. We have reviewed the handling of six complaints, namely that:

1. on 21 November 2021, an officer put her hand in the applicant’s face and told her to be quiet;
2. on the same date, the applicant was kept in the hall where she had been assaulted, causing her further distress;
3. on the same date, an officer showed no sympathy for the applicant’s concern for her cats, stating that they “will be fine”;
4. on the same date, an officer failed to see damage in the applicant’s studio room;
5. on the same date, an officer failed to take photographs of the damage to the applicant’s flat; and
6. during a later telephone conversation, an officer used insensitive language to refer to the applicant’s ex-partner, describing him as “the boy”. 

Police Scotland’s decision

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

Our findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled five of the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) but not so complaint 6.

We have made one recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of complaint 6.

Specifically, we recommend that further enquiries are carried out into the complaint, following which it is reassessed, and a further response issued to the applicant.

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

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented our recommendation in this case. While the complaint remained not upheld, learning was identified for both the complaint enquiry officer and the officer subject of the complaint, which was disseminated appropriately.

Police Bodies : Police Scotland