Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant informed two police officers that he had been assaulted by his partner. We have reviewed the handling of two complaints, namely that:

the police failed to act in relation to a domestic incident that the applicant reported; and
the applicant’s police files were accessed, which resulted in sensitive information about him being shared. 

Police Scotland’s Decision

Police Scotland upheld complaint 1, but did not uphold complaint 2.

Our Findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled complaint 1 to a reasonable standard, but not so complaint 2.

Consequently, we have made a recommendation. We have recommended that Police Scotland: undertake further enquiry to establish whether the applicant’s police files were accessed; and then provide the applicant with a further response. We have also identified two learning points to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. Our learning points relate to the use of appropriate officer rank and providing explanations for delays in responding to complaints.

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

Police Bodies : Police Scotland