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Complaints against the police
24/01/2008
A report into the handling of complaints agains the police in Strathclyde by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service was published today by the Inspectorate of Prosecution.
HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution Joe O'Donnell said:
"The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has a duty to investigate complaints against the police which allege criminal conduct. This is an important part of the Department's work.
"This report looks at the internal procedures for the handling of these complaints, and at compliance with the Lord Advocate's policy and directions by the four Area Fiscals who cover the Strathclyde Area. Strathclyde deals with more than 60 per cent of the national work.
"Compliance with Crown Office and the Lord Advocate's policy was found to be high. There were, however, differences in the way the policy was interpreted in different parts of Strathclyde and there was an appetite among staff for change. For that reason the main recommendation of the report is that there should be a fundamental review of policy and practice in this area."
There were 1,114 complaints alleging criminal conduct against the police in Scotland last year, with 744 in the Strathclyde area.
The Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland is an independent, statutory body charged with the inspection of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. It does this by way of Office and Area inspection reports and also by thematic reports.