Report - Police Scotland - PIRC/00296/21
The Complaints
The complaints in this case arose following the applicant being contacted by Police Scotland in his capacity as a funeral director and asked to attend to the body of a recently deceased gentleman.
We have reviewed the handling of two complaints, namely that:
On 18 March 2021 police officers failed to make it clear to the applicant, a funeral director, whether he was being instructed to attend an address on behalf of the deceased’s family or Police Scotland, with the instructions finally given being inconsistent with Police Scotland’s identified procedure.
Police Scotland have regularly failed to follow the correct policy and procedures when dealing with ‘medical deaths’ with resultant issues for the applicant’s company and the families of the deceased.
Police Scotland’s Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold either of the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled neither of the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard.
Consequently, we have made two recommendations to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland conduct further enquires that are deemed necessary and appropriate, reassess the available information, and provide a further response to the applicant that clearly explains the conclusion reached including full reference to the relevant sections of the Standard Operating Procedures relied upon.
Our recommendations should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Police Bodies : Police Scotland