Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00632/21
The Complaints
The complaints in this case arose after the applicant made several reports concerning her neighbour to the police. We have reviewed the handling of five complaints, namely that:
on 12 January 2021, the applicant reported her neighbour and other individuals to the police for breaching COVID-19 regulations; however, Police Scotland failed to deal with the matter appropriately;
on 13 January 2021, the applicant reported individuals involved with her neighbour for a second breach of COVID-19 regulations; however Police Scotland failed to take any action;
on 14 January 2021, the applicant reported her neighbour for breaching his bail conditions; however, Police Scotland failed to take any action;
on 15 January 2021, the applicant reported her neighbour for breaching his bail conditions for a second time; however, Police Scotland failed to take appropriate action; and,
following on from the instances mentioned above, the applicant reported linked instances of fly tipping; however, Police Scotland failed to make sufficient enquiries or investigate the matters properly.
Police Scotland’s Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold any of the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled all of the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard.
However, we have identified a single learning point regarding Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints.
Our learning point should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Outcome
We identified learning in relation to delays in responding to the applicant’s complaint, which took 185 days in this case.
All learning identified as a result of our review was appropriately disseminated in the Police Scotland Commander’s Report July 2022, where officers were reminded to acknowledge the delay and provide the applicant with an apology in these instances.
Police Bodies : Police Scotland