Report Summary
This is the Authority’s third Complaints and Conduct Committee annual report, which provides information and insights about numbers, performance and assurance in relation to complaints received during 2022-23.
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Look ahead to 2023/24
The Angiolini Review Final Report comments:
"I believe that the two functions below are the significant responsibilities that the Complaints & Conduct Committee should focus on in future:
“(iii) Monitor the handling of relevant complaints by SPA and PS, seeking information on themes or trends as appropriate, with a view to the Committee satisfying itself that the arrangements maintained by SPA and PS for the handling of relevant complaints are suitable.”
“(ix) Critically examine reports from HMICS, PIRC, and any other information provided by PS in relation to complaints about the police, and ensure that appropriate improvement plans are implemented or remedial action is taken within agreed timescales.”
Looking ahead to 2023-24, the Committee will seek to capitalise on earlier progress in respect of the collation and analysis of complaints handling statistics, with a view to seeking greater insights in respect of complaints handling performance through the quarterly reports provided by the SPA, Police Scotland and the PIRC.
As well as providing continued oversight in respect of the delivery of the remainder of actions being taken forward by the SPA and Police Scotland relating to recommendations from the Angiolini Review, it will seek evidence that completed actions successfully have the desired impact.
It will seek evidence of action taken in response to the findings of the recently published first joint SPA/PIRC annual audit of Police Scotland complaint handling arrangements, as well as seeking further assurance in respect of complaint handling arrangements via future planned audit/dip-sampling activity.
In carrying out the above, the Committee will seek to enhance its ability to assess the suitability of complaints handling arrangements, as well as to promote ongoing continuous improvement in this regard, extending beyond the complaints handling process itself, seeking assurance that resulting organisational learning is identified, shared and embedded with a view to preventing those circumstances which give rise to complaints recurring in the future, serving to deliver against the Scottish Police Authority vision of ‘policing in the public interest’.
