Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/01021/24
The Complaints
The complaint in this case arose after the applicant reported a child safety concern to the police. The applicant and his ex-partner have one child together. The applicant contacted the police to report that his child had disclosed that his mother had left him alone in the house for a couple of hours during the night. The applicant contacted the police who conducted enquiries into the incident. However, after speaking with the applicant’s ex-partner, an officer contacted the applicant to inform him that a crime report would not be raised. We have reviewed the handling of two complaints, namely that:
On 16 September 2024, the applicant reported a child safety concern relating to his son, but the police did not treat this as a crime; and
the police conducted an insufficient investigation into the applicant’s report of concern for his son.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold either of the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland handled both complaints to a reasonable
We have identified a single learning point to highlight good complaint handling practice.
Our learning point should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Outcome
Police Scotland implemented our learning point which was in relation to good complaint handling practice. Police Scotland shared the learning with the Inspector involved, which was accepted.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland