Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose following a serious road traffic collision (RTC) involving the applicant’s son, which resulted in serious injuries being sustained. Officers seized the applicant’s son’s phone before he was conveyed by ambulance to hospital where he was treated during the following weeks. The applicant secured the return of her son’s phone from the police two weeks after the RTC. We have reviewed the handling of four complaints, namely that: 

1. Police Scotland officers failed to notify the applicant that her son had been involved in a serious RTC, which resulted in serious injuries being sustained; 
2. the officer dealing with the RTC involving the applicant’s son, and the subsequent return of his property, did not treat the applicant with any empathy or compassion during her interactions with them;
3. the applicant’s son’s phone was not returned in a timely manner; and
4. the applicant was not notified that police would attend at hospital and speak with her son.

Police Scotland's Decision

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

Our Findings

We have found that Police Scotland handled complaints 2, 3, and 4 to a reasonable standard, but not so complaint 1. 

Consequently, we have made a recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of complaint 1. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland conduct further enquiries, reassess the complaint and provides the applicant with a further response.

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

Outcome

Police Scotland implemented one recommendation. In doing so, Police Scotland made further enquiries, including obtaining further information from relevant officers and the opinion of a specialist senior officer. The complaint was re-assessed, and Police Scotland provided the applicant with a well-reasoned further response upholding the complaint and apologising to the applicant. Police Scotland also undertook to consider whether current Police Scotland procedures require to be updated to clarify the guidance for officers when attending to road traffic collisions.

Police Bodies: Police Scotland