Posted: Monday 21 March 2011
Guiding principles steer police complaints in a new direction
Professor McNeill said: I am setting out the minimum standards expected of the police when they respond to complaints from the public. I am looking to create a process that handles complaints effectively and proportionately and one where communication with the person making the complaint is improved. This fundamental change in approach offers unprecedented opportunities for the police to resolve complaints quickly at a local level and to identify where lessons can be learned for the future."
As Scotland's police contemplate a future with fewer forces or even as a single force, the man in charge of looking at how they handle complaints from the public has launched statutory guidance on complaints today (Monday 21 March).
The guidance called "From sanctions to solutions" is designed to ensure that police from the Borders to the Highlands adhere to the same guiding principles of accessibility, independence and continuous improvement and follow the same six-stage process when investigating a complaint from the public.
In his foreword to the guidance the Commissioner positions the principles as moving the police "towards a culture where complaints are viewed as providing opportunities for the police and individuals to learn and improve."
Under the new system, a complaint will follow a six stage process and will either be dealt with by local complaint handling or through specialist investigation. The process introduces a single method of recording, reporting and investigating complaints, something the Commissioner describes as "critical to strengthening the accountability and integrity of the police complaint handling system across the whole of Scotland."
The publication of the new guidance follows an eight week public consultation exercise which has ensured that the views of advocacy and support groups representing some of the most vulnerable in society, as well as the police themselves, have contributed to the final document.
The guidance applies to the eight Scottish forces, their police boards, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as police bodies such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency, MoD Police and British Transport Police when they are operating in Scotland.