Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant contacted Police Scotland to report an alleged hate incident.

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

1. The applicant was informed she would be updated by a [named] Inspector following contact with the Information Management Department, however she did not receive any update.
2. The applicant was not given an opportunity to submit what happened to her on 23 December 2023 in writing.
3. The applicant was not updated regarding the incident she reported on 23 December 2023. 

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 and 3 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 complaints 1 and 3. Our learning points relate to the recording of subject officers, the categorisation of a complaint and the application of the balance of probabilities test. 

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

Police Bodies: Police Scotland