Further Detail on the Report Topic

SPA Complaints Performance
Appendix A provides an overview of the complaint handling
responsibilities of the SPA with explanatory text on reporting
terminology.

The SPA Complaints Quarterly Performance Report, including key
statistics reflecting the position at the end of Q4 2024/25, is
attached as Appendix B to this report and provides comparison
to the previous 7 quarters.

Appendix C contains the SPA Complaints Annual Report providing
details over the past 6 years.

Workload Management
Detail on ongoing workload is presented as a separate agenda
item at the private session of this meeting.

A review of the Authority’s Unacceptable, Persistent or
Unreasonable Actions by Complainers Policy has been
undertaken by the team. Following Committee approval, the
revised Policy has been published on the SPA website.

Dip-Sampling of Police Scotland Complaints
Following recent recruitment to the team, SPA dip-sampling of
Police Scotland closed complaints will resume in 2025/26, with a
first report on sampled closed cases from Q1 being reported to
the September Committee.

Stakeholder Meetings
The National Complaint Handling Development Group
(NCHDG) met on Thursday 1 May, chaired by
T/Superintendent James Mann who had recently commenced
in role. The group discussed the following matters: updates
to the 6-stage complaint capture form following earlier audit;
Police Scotland website accessibility for complainers; and
recent PSD ‘days of action’ as part of efforts to address
current unallocated complaint levels.

Organisational Learning
The SPA is committed to promoting a culture of organisational
learning. Opportunities are identified through a variety of sources
including the handling of complaints within the remit of the SPA
and PIRC Complaint Handling Reviews (CHRs) if applicable. No
specific organisational learning opportunities have been identified
during this reporting period.