Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant was involved in a dispute with her neighbour. The applicant had contacted Police Scotland on numerous occasions in relation to the dispute. The applicant was arrested for a related offence, which led her to be taken to a police station where she was interviewed and subsequently charged. 

We have reviewed the handling of two complaints, namely that: 

1. Police Scotland did not correctly deal with all the incidents that the applicant reported involving her neighbour; and
2. Officers put the applicant in a police van, took her to a police station and charged her before her rights were read.

Police Scotland's Decision

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

Our Findings

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

Consequently, we have identified two learning points to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaint.

Specifically, we have reminded Police Scotland of the importance of correctly following the provisions of the PIRC Statutory Guidance on Complaint Handling that we provide to policing bodies in Scotland, and of ensuring that notes obtained during correspondence with complainers are as detailed as possible.

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

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented two learning points in this case. In doing so, Police Scotland disseminated the learning identified in our complaint handling review to staff in their Learning Point Report.

Police Bodies: Police Scotland