Meeting of the Parliament 22 March 2016
As the member will be well aware, such matters are largely operational responsibilities for Police Scotland. She asked about such matters when the Justice Committee took evidence from Chief Constable Phil Gormley recently, and he set out some of the issues that he is considering. Alongside the chief constable was the chair of the SPA, who said that the organisation was looking at how complaints are handled and the measures that it can take. In effect, the member is asking me a question that she has almost already asked the chief constable and the chair of the SPA. They provided her with an indication of the work that the SPA is doing internally in looking at those very issues. Given the role that the SPA has in the governance of Police Scotland, and given that the new chief constable is looking at those matters, I think that we should allow them to carry out that work to see how they can improve on the present arrangements.
I am always prepared to try to improve areas of our justice system, including within the police service, but, given that members are quick to criticise when they feel that the structures that we have put in place are not operating effectively, it is important that, when the police undertake work in such areas, we allow them to do that and to look at the evidence that has been provided to them in an effort to improve the existing system.