We Must Retain an Independent Way of Holding Police to Account

Summary

---

SCOTLAND has had a Police Complaints Commissioner for less than four years. The appointment brought independent arbitration to police complaints which had previously been investigated by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. The robust approach taken by the first commissioner, Jim Martin, which included ordering two chief constables to make personal apologies to families whose complaints were upheld, boosted public confidence in the system.

That has been built on by the present Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS), Professor John McNeill, who has based his approach on human rights and sought to move the way police forces deal with complaints from apportioning blame to an opportunity for learning and instituting best practice across Scotland.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

We Must Retain an Independent Way of Holding Police to Account

Despite these successes, the PCCS is set to disappear in a merger with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (S...

See the full content of this document

---