Complaint Handling Reviews

The Complaints

The complaints in this case arose after the applicant reported historic domestic and sexual abuse by her ex-partner and another male to Police Scotland. The applicant was dissatisfied with various aspects of her interactions with, and investigations carried out by police officers and subsequently, complained to Police Scotland. 

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

1. the applicant is dissatisfied with the time taken to note her statement;
2. the applicant is dissatisfied with the number of times she was rescheduled before her statement was noted;
3. the applicant is dissatisfied with the uncomfortable setting in which the Sexual Offences Liaison Officer (SOLO) took her statement, which added to her trauma;
4. the applicant is dissatisfied that the SOLO was blunt and unsympathetic during the statement taking;
5. the applicant is dissatisfied that the SOLO provided her with conflicting advice regarding investigating a crime committed overseas, adding to her trauma;
6. the applicant is dissatisfied that a SOLO and another officer gave her conflicting advice regarding contacting a witness herself;
7. the applicant is dissatisfied that the SOLO did not provide her with sufficient updates as to the progress of the enquiry;
8. the applicant is dissatisfied with the time taken to make enquiry into the crime(s) reported; 
9. the applicant is dissatisfied with the lack of enquiry into the crime(s) reported; and
10. the applicant is dissatisfied that the SOLO informed her that she had ‘forgotten’ about her enquiry, adding to her trauma.

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 3 and 5 to a reasonable standard, but not so the remainder of the applicant’s complaints (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10). 

Consequently, we have made eight recommendations and identified a learning point to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. In summary, we recommend that further necessary and proportionate enquiries are carried out and that the complaints are re-assessed. A fresh response should thereafter be issued to the applicant which explains whether her complaints have been upheld or not upheld, on the balance of probabilities.

Our learning point relates to the requirement to ensure that the information gathered during a complaint enquiry is of a suitable quality and quantity to enable a full and informed response to be provided to the complainer.

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

Police Bodies: Police Scotland