Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant was stopped while driving her car on a dual carriageway. 

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

1. On 14 November 2023, while driving her car, the applicant was unlawfully stopped by police officers

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 and identified a learning point to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaint. In summary, we recommend that Police Scotland: conduct further necessary and proportionate enquiries; re-assess the available information; and issue the applicant with a well-reasoned response which properly identifies the crux of the applicant’s complaint(s) and allows her to understand whether her complaint(s) has been upheld or not upheld.

Our learning point highlights the requirement for complaint handlers to: accurately identify the crux of the complaint at the outset of the complaint enquiry; and ensure that the information gathered during the complaint enquiry is of a suitable quality and quantity to enable a detailed and well-reasoned response to be provided to the complaint.

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented one recommendation in this case. In doing so, it separated the applicant’s complaint into 7 separate complaints. It then conducted further enquiries and re-assessed the available information, after which it provided the applicant with a fresh response which allowed her to fully understand the determinations reached, and which now recorded that one complaint as upheld. We were provided with confirmation that our Learning point was shared with Police Scotland’s complaint handling staff and other learning was disseminated and accepted by the relevant subject officers. 

Police Bodies: Police Scotland