Report - Strathclyde Police
- Reference:
- PCCS/0032/ PF-SP
- Police Body:
- Strathclyde Police
- Date:
- 30 July 2010
- Download:
- Download Report - Strathclyde Police
The applicant is dissatisfied with how Strathclyde Police handled the investigation of the sudden death of her husband. She also believes that a police officer who dealt with her husband's death "bullied" her.
Of the five complaints made by the applicant, the Commissioner concluded that three were outside his statutory remit and therefore could not be included in his review. In respect of the remaining two complaints (complaints 1 and 5), the Commissioner found that neither had been handled in a reasonable manner. In respect of complaint 1, the Commissioner found that there had been a significant delay in recognising this as a formal complaint. In respect of complaint 5, the Commissioner concluded that Strathclyde Police's response did not adequately reflect the findings of the investigating officer.
In light of these, and other deficiencies in the handling of the complaints, the Commissioner recommended that Strathclyde Police apologise to the applicant.
The Commissioner highlighted the fact that his conclusions related solely to the manner in which the complaints were handled, and not to their substance. In the Commissioner's view, there was nothing in the points raised by the applicant in her statements to justify her conclusion that Person A's death was not investigated at the time.
The Commissioner also identified two learning points: the first concerning the need for police bodies to keep auditable records of enquiries undertaken into complaints; the second regarding the need for regular, written updates to be issued to complainers where enquiries into their complaints become extended.