Committee
Justice Committee 01 March 2016
01 Mar 2016 · S4 · Justice Committee
Item of business
Police Scotland
My question is on the general issue of communication within the police service. The report on the staff survey came out in September last year. In the survey, issues were raised about internal engagement, including the heavy reliance on cascading information by email and through the intranet, when personal methods, such as through line management or team and shift briefings, were preferred. What has been done to address that? Have things changed since September?
In the same item of business
The Convener (Christine Grahame)
SNP
Good morning. I welcome everyone to the eighth meeting of the Justice Committee in 2016. I ask everyone to switch off mobile phones and other electronic devi...
Chief Constable Philip Gormley (Police Scotland)
I will be there next week.
The Convener
SNP
This is your penultimate appearance. I also welcome Andrew Flanagan, the chair of the Scottish Police Authority, who has been here before, and John Foley, th...
John Foley (Scottish Police Authority)
Indeed, convener.
The Convener
SNP
When a member asks you a question directly, your microphone will come on automatically. Otherwise, if you indicate to me that you wish to respond, I will cal...
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning. I would like some clarification. For the life of me, I cannot understand why we do not have a whistleblowing policy but have instead decided to...
Chief Constable Gormley
I am happy to answer that question. We have a range of what are called standard operating procedures, and, in preparation for this meeting, I had a look at t...
The Convener
SNP
How long is the list?
Chief Constable Gormley
Would you like me to read it, convener? It contains about 12 SOPs.
The Convener
SNP
Do committee members want to hear the list? Members: Yes.
The Convener
SNP
We want to hear the list.
Chief Constable Gormley
We have standard operating procedures around attendance management; business interests; complaints about the police; discipline; equality, diversity and dign...
Christian Allard
SNP
One thing that we could have learned from elsewhere is, first, to answer the question and, secondly, to answer the question about whistleblowing. Thank you v...
Chief Constable Gormley
I am very happy to use the word “whistleblowing”, although there are some issues around that term and some people take exception to it as a description. The...
Christian Allard
SNP
I put it to the SPA that the issue is about encouraging whistleblowing, and we have heard from the chief constable about what happens afterwards, once people...
Andrew Flanagan (Scottish Police Authority)
The authority conducted an internal audit of whistleblowing policy in the first half of 2015, and there are three issues that I think need to be looked at fu...
Christian Allard
SNP
That is the policy. Can you tell us the number of whistleblowers—or whatever you want to call them—that there have been or the number of disclosures that hav...
Andrew Flanagan
I do not have that information.
Chief Constable Gormley
I am not sure that I can answer that specific question about the total numbers since Police Scotland was established. However, in response to the points made...
The Convener
SNP
Can you explain to me what the referrals to integrity matters were about? Can you give some examples?
Chief Constable Gormley
I do not have specific examples, but 29 of them related broadly to issues of potential criminality and 104 were more general concerns.
Christian Allard
SNP
Were they all of the whistleblowing type, or were they general comments?
Chief Constable Gormley
I have not reviewed all 133 of them, as I am sure you would understand, but they involve issues that staff wanted to bring to the attention of the organisati...
Christian Allard
SNP
Do you have any feedback on how the people who did that whistleblowing have been protected after making the disclosure?
Chief Constable Gormley
I have no direct evidence on that. I have a relationship with the unions and the police staff associations, but no concerns have been brought to my notice in...
Christian Allard
SNP
Thank you very much for that evidence.
The Convener
SNP
I am going to let somebody else come in, Christian, and you can come back in later. You have had quite a whack. The potential introduction of third parties ...
Chief Constable Gormley
I agree. It is difficult to deal with the issue anecdotally. There will be staff who feel like that, and individuals may have issues because they believe tha...
The Convener
SNP
It goes back to your point about involving a third party that is external to the police. You have given a whole list of procedures—
Chief Constable Gormley
Yes, I have.