Committee Chair Foreword

This is the Authority’s fifth Complaints and Conduct Committee annual report, which serves to highlight trends in respect of complaints received during 2024-2025, performance in respect of complaints handling during that period, wider matters considered by the Committee (particularly in relation to officer misconduct) and provide assurance in respect of Authority scrutiny in this important area, recognising its key link to public confidence in policing in Scotland.

Introduction of annual reporting in this regard was prompted by the Final Report on the ‘Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing’, undertaken by Lady Elish Angiolini (hereinafter referred to as the Angiolini Review), which recommended that:

• “The SPA Complaints and Conduct Committee's scrutiny function should be reported on in the SPA annual report, drawing out particular trends, highlighting improvements or concerns and using complaints data as an indicator of communities' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with policing services.” (Recommendation 31)

• “In order to ensure public confidence in the police, the SPA should confirm each year in its annual report whether or not in its view, based on an informed assessment by the Complaints and Conduct Committee and evidence from the relevant audits, the Chief Constable has suitable complaint handling arrangements in place.” (Recommendation 59)

In respect of Recommendation 31, as with last year, a high-level summary has been included in the 2024-2025 SPA Annual Report, this more detailed, Committee-specific report aiming to supplement this approach.

In respect of Recommendation 59, a statement has been included in the 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts as follows:

"While the national complaint handling operating model introduced by Police Scotland in May 2021 has brought improvements in quality and consistency of complaint handling, there continue to be challenges in relation to timeliness, although it is recognised that demands on the Professional Standards Department (not limited to complaints) have increased significantly over the subsequent period amidst tightening resource constraints".

During 2024-25, Police Scotland put in place a gold command structure to address the growing queue of non-criminal complaints assessed as requiring investigation and formal determination, but where those cases had yet to be allocated to an investigator. While the backlog continued to grow up until January 2025, Police Scotland have put in place actions which have stabilised and begun to improve the position. Police Scotland acknowledge that the current position remains unacceptable and have improvement actions in place to support a return, within reasonable timescales, to levels seen prior to the introduction of the new model. The Authority has agreed with Police Scotland to commission a review by Internal Audit of the end-to-end complaint handling process.

In February 2025, the Committee were advised that all recommendations from the earlier joint Authority/PIRC audit of triage and assessment of complaints had been discharged. In June 2025, the Committee were advised that 4 (of 10) recommendations from the more recent PIRC audit on compliance with the 6-Stage Complaint Handling Process set out in its Statutory Guidance had been discharged. Due to capacity issues within the Authority’s Complaints Team, the quarterly process of auditing a sample of closed complaints against the Police Scotland Complaints about the Police Standard Operating Procedure and the PIRC Statutory Guidance was paused during 2024-25. However, this will be reintroduced to cover the 2025-26 financial year.

Engagement has continued with Police Scotland on assurance reporting to allow the Authority to provide a more informed assessment of the suitability of complaint handling arrangements. While a number of significant improvements and additional disclosures were made during 2024-25, the committee is keen to see development of, and reporting on:

• targets for completion of key stages of the process;

• the diversity profile of those raising complaints and/or being
complained about;

• review of the appropriateness of current complaint
categories;

• evidence that learning is being identified and actioned to
prevent avoidable recurring complaints; and

• improved trend analysis.

Based on the above, the Committee will continue to seek assurance of improvement action being taken to ensure the suitability of Police Scotland complaint handling arrangements going forward, recognising its importance in maintaining public confidence in the policing of Scotland”.

Katharina Kasper

Chair –Complaints and Conduct Committee

February 2025