Posted: Tuesday 11 October 2011
Complaint allegations against Scottish police forces fall to three year low
A new report published today (11 October 2011) by Professor John McNeill, the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland, shows that in the year to 31 March 2011 complaint allegations about the police have fallen by 8.8% to 7009, a three year low.
The annual digest of complaints uses information provided by the eight forces to record the number and type of criminal, non-criminal and quality of service complaints received and disposed of by the police and Area Procurators Fiscal.
Only two forces, Northern and Fife Constabularies, reported increases in complaint allegations, up 9% and 3.8% respectively. Central Scotland Police recorded the largest fall, down 23% (22.9%), while the number of allegations against Strathclyde Police, Scotland's largest force, fell by almost 12% (11.9%).
By using a complaint/10,000 population denominator, it is possible to identify trends in complaints between forces serving areas with different population sizes. Using this method, Strathclyde recorded the lowest with 11.2 complaints and Grampian the highest at 18.9 complaints per 10,000 population. The average for Scotland as a whole was 13.4 complaints.
Complaints about senior police officers rose from 45 last year to 48 this year. A senior officer is classed as any rank above Chief Superintendent. Strathclyde Police recorded the greatest increase in complaints about its senior officers, rising from 18 to 28. No complaints were made about senior officers from Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary or Tayside Police. The number of complaints about senior officers from Grampian Police dropped to five from 14 last year.
The report also breaks the data down across twelve different categories of complaints, ranging from traffic irregularity to corrupt practice. Irregular procedure remains the most common complaint, with 32.5% of all complaints made falling into this category. This category captures complaints about the way that an officer, or member of civilian staff, has carried out his duties, neglect of duty relates to complaints that an officer has not carried his duties. Incivility or rudeness by officers remains the second most common complaint, accounting for over 15% (15.5%) of all complaints made by the public.
In the period under review, 649 cases were referred to the Procurator Fiscal, with proceedings taken in 37 cases, resulting in 30 convictions. Claims of assault (611 allegations) and the use of excessive force (420 allegations) by officers, showed the biggest reductions this year, at 31% and 28% respectively.
Professor McNeill described the overall drop in complaints as "encouraging", saying that any decrease in complaints is to be welcomed. However he sounded a note of caution in relation to the increase in those seeking an independent review of their complaint, after the police process had been concluded.
The figures in this report contrast with the Commissioner's own Annual Report published last month, which showed a 70 per cent increase in the number of people bringing complaints to him, after exhausting the police's own complaints processes, something he attributes in part to greater awareness of his role. Currently the PCCS reviews and reports on non-criminal complaints only. This may change under a single force, where the PCCS could become part of a new independent body which has the power to investigate complaints and allegations of misconduct by Chief Officers, as well as the ability to investigate serious criminal allegations against police officers and staff under the direction of the Lord Advocate.
Professor McNeill said: "I am sure that the forces will welcome the overall drop in complaints and I am encouraged by any reduction in the number of complaints about the police. Where the police and I may part company is that I do not see the closing of a complaint by the police as the end of the story. I have seen a significant increase in the number of people coming to me, after they have been through the police's complaints procedure, because they are not happy with the way the police have handled their complaint.
We need to work on better resolution of complaints locally and proportionately. I hope that the Statutory Guidance, which I published in March this year, with its focus on local resolution and forces learning from complaints received, will contribute to a further reduction in complaints made and referrals to my office."