Hansard

I add my thanks to the committee and those who gave evidence. I also thank Lady Elish for laying the foundations for the important and necessary reforms that we are debating as part of the bill.

The vast majority of police officers conduct themselves with the utmost integrity and work tirelessly to keep people and communities across Scotland safe. They do so as the demands that are placed on them and the challenges that they face grow ever greater. Last month, at the Scottish Police Federation awards ceremony, I was privileged to witness the commitment, selflessness and bravery that are shown daily by officers around the country. That was truly humbling.

At the same time, to protect those in its service and those whom it serves, policing requires officers and staff to adopt the most stringent of ethics codes. Service in the force, while uniquely challenging, also provides a unique degree of power over fellow citizens. When that power is abused or misused, accountability and transparency must be paramount. Too often, however, that does not appear to be the case, and victims are often left feeling shut out from the complaints system. Scottish Liberal Democrats welcome the bill and the efforts that have been made to provide a clear regulatory framework and more robust vetting procedures, to increase the scrutiny role of independent bodies and to strengthen the consequences of misconduct.

The Angiolini report emphasised the need for a proactive approach, as well as an open and frank debate on the state of Scottish policing. Let us not forget that there are 2,000 unresolved complaints against members of the police force, of which 1,200 are yet to be even allocated an investigation—a point that Douglas Ross made in relation to his amendment. I therefore welcome the approach of the justice secretary and the Criminal Justice Committee in consulting those with lived experience of the complaints system—both civilians and those on the police side.

I commend and congratulate Sharon Dowey and Katy Clark on the amendments that they have had accepted at stage 3 today. I also welcome Pauline McNeill’s moves to air a subject that needed to be debated around the vetting system. We accept the need for vetting, but there are genuine and reasonable misgivings about how it might be used inappropriately. The debate that we were able to have today was worth while, so I thank Pauline McNeill for allowing it to happen.

I echo Victim Support Scotland’s assessment that it is not enough simply to have in place procedures that deal reactively with those who violate the code of ethics or engage in misconduct. Periodic vetting procedures provide scope for proactive scrutiny and reflect the intentions of the Angiolini report in that regard.

I recognise the concerns that have been raised by the Scottish Police Federation and by ASPS in a meeting with me this morning. We will need to keep the issue under review. I welcome the reassurances and clarifications that the cabinet secretary has offered in response to the amendments. As she said, policing by consent demands that the highest ethical standards are upheld.

For the public to have trust, they must see and feel that systems are in place that are designed to protect them should they encounter misconduct. The points that Douglas Ross made in relation to his amendment indicate that there are still gaps, but the exchange with the cabinet secretary was very helpful. On the whole, I believe that the bill takes us much closer to that point, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats will vote in favour of the bill at decision time.