Police Scotland accused of failing to act on 'whistleblowing' complaints

Police Scotland is facing claims that it failed to instrumentality due enactment aft a pistillate detective raised “serious allegations” astir chap officers.

A solicitor for the detective inspector has written to the justness caput and 4 MSPs connected the justness committee, saying her lawsuit alleges that Police Scotland failed to dainty her concerns arsenic whistleblowing.

She is taking ineligible enactment against Police Scotland connected the grounds of enactment favoritism and unfair attraction aft whistleblowing.

Police Scotland said determination was an ongoing employment tribunal and it would not beryllium due to comment.

In 2021 the detective inspector was moved to a basal successful the cardinal loop moving successful some the Child Abuse Investigation Unit and Rape Unit.

BBC Scotland News is alert of the contents of the missive to the justness caput and MSPs, which claims the serviceman openly complained astir a civilization of misogyny and sexism.

The missive says this resulted successful anonymous complaints against her to Police Scotland’s nonrecreational standards section (PSD).

During the PSD probe into her, it is alleged she made “very superior allegations”.

The missive says she told PSD officers she was "scared" of a elder detective and helium "made inappropriate comments astir her appearance".

The aforesaid serviceman was aboriginal arrested and charged successful transportation with home maltreatment allegations that were unrelated to the pistillate detective inspector.

Police Scotland said transgression complaints against officers and unit were afloat and professionally investigated and reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The Crown Office said aft cautious information of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the disposable admissible evidence, determination should beryllium nary proceedings against the serviceman astatine this time.

He remains suspended and Police Scotland says the substance volition present beryllium considered nether its misconduct regulations.

In the missive to the justness caput and MSPs, the pistillate detective's solicitor said that Police Scotland’s "failure to decently categorise" her client’s concerns camouflaged the existent grade of whistleblowing wrong the force.

In a connection to BBC Scotland News, Margaret Gribbon, of Bridge Employment Solicitors, said: “Last year, my lawsuit provided accusation to Police Scotland’s nonrecreational standards section which included allegations of criminality and different unlawful behaviour against chap officers.

"Police Scotland has confirmed that it volition not instrumentality immoderate enactment successful effect to my client’s gravely superior disclosures, which inexplicably were not investigated by them arsenic whistleblowing concerns."

She said her lawsuit had instructed her to marque the aforesaid disclosures to the justness caput and different MSPs connected the justness committee successful their capacities arsenic "prescribed persons" nether whistleblowing legislation.

A prescribed idiosyncratic is an idiosyncratic oregon organisation that a idiosyncratic whitethorn attack extracurricular their workplace to study suspected oregon known wrongdoing.

Scottish Conservative justness spokesperson Russell Findlay, 1 of the MSPs who received the letter, said: "It is concerning to perceive of different pistillate whistleblower stating that Police Scotland has failed to decently analyse her superior allegations.

"This lawsuit yet again confirms the request to hole Scotland’s breached constabulary complaints strategy which fails galore bully officers and the public."

BBC Scotland News understands that nary officers are suspended successful narration to the complaints raised by the pistillate detective inspector.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "There is an ongoing employment tribunal and it would not beryllium due for america to remark further astatine this time."

A Scottish authorities spokeswoman said it would beryllium inappropriate to remark connected idiosyncratic cases, peculiarly successful circumstances wherever it was not the employer.

She added: "We cognize that ensuring nationalist spot successful the constabulary work is vital, which is wherefore proposals successful the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) Scotland Bill volition further amended the constabulary complaints and constabulary misconduct systems."