About you
3. What is your name?
Name
Suzanne Ross
Section 2: Code of ethics
8. What are your views on the proposals to establish a statutory Code of Ethics for Police Scotland, the requirement for police officers to have regard to the Code, and the procedures for producing the Code?
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I think that a Code of Ethics for Police Scotland is extremely important for getting the public to trust Police Scotland. It is also extremely important that all Police Officers have regard for the Code and will be held accountable if they don’t.
Section 3: Duty of candour
9. What are your views on the proposal to introduce a duty of candour for constables as set out in section 3?
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Constables must be able willing to follow the Code of Ethics even if they need to investigate a fellow officer.
Section 4: Liability of the Scottish Police Authority for unlawful conduct of the Chief Constable
10. Do you have any views on the proposal for the SPA to be liable for the unlawful conduct on the part of the Chief Constable in the carrying out of their functions?
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The Chief Constable should be held responsible for their own actions in the same way that any Constable would in the same circumstances and the Chief Constable should also be held accountable if they knowingly allow any Constable to carry out any part of their work that is against the Code of Conduct.
Section 5: Misconduct procedures: functions of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner
11. What are your views on the proposal to broaden the functions of the PIRC to include any aspect of the regulatory disciplinary procedures, not just misconduct investigations?
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The PIRC should also be involved in regulatory disciplinary procedures to ensure compliance
Section 6: Procedures for misconduct: former constables
12. What are your views on the proposals to continue disciplinary procedures for gross misconduct, should an officer retire or resign?
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Disciplinary procedures for gross misconduct should be able to continue even if the officer has retired or resigned. I don’t agree with there being a time limit placed on when these disciplinary procedures can happen because the gross misconduct may not be brought to light within the time limit.
13. Do you have any views on the proposed time period after which no steps, or only certain steps in the misconduct procedures would be applied unless additional criteria were met?
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There should be no time limit when misconduct procedures could be applied.
Section 7: Scottish police advisory list and Scottish police barred list
14. What are your views on the proposals to establish Scottish police barred and advisory lists and the criteria for the inclusion of an officer to either list?
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I agree that police barred and advisory lists should be established and that any officer who has been found to have been involved in a matter of gross misconduct should be placed on the barred list and officers who are subject to disciplinary procedures should be placed on the advisory list
Section 8: Procedures for misconduct: senior officers
15. What are your views on the proposal to have an independent panel determine misconduct cases against senior officers?
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I believe an independent panel to determine misconduct cases against senior officers would be a good way of increasing the public’s trust
Section 9: Investigations into possible offences by persons serving with the police
16. What are your views on the proposals to clarify the PIRC’s investigatory powers in relation to criminal conduct and incidents involving deaths of serving police officers, as set out in section 9?
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I think the proposal should go ahead
Section 10: Investigations of complaints made by persons serving with the police
17. What are your views on the proposals to clearly define who can make a “relevant complaint” to the PIRC and in what circumstances?
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A good proposal
Section 11: Complaint handling reviews
18. What are your views on the proposals to enable the PIRC to carry out complaint handling reviews of its own volition and make recommendations in relation to complaints in a review report?
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I agree that this should be done
Section 12: Call-in of relevant complaints
19. What are your views on the proposal to give the PIRC a statutory power to take over investigation of complaints being dealt with by the Chief Constable or the SPA under the circumstances set out in section 12?
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I think this is a great idea. It is important for an outside body to investigate if it is believed that the police are trying to cover up something
Section 13: Review of investigation of whistleblowing complaints
20. What are your views on the proposals for the PIRC to audit and have oversight of the SPA and Chief Constable’s arrangements for handling whistleblowing complaints and to report and make recommendations on the arrangements?
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A good idea
Section 14: Investigations involving constables from outwith Scotland
21. What are your views on the proposals to allow the PIRC to investigate serious incidents, potential criminal offending and some deaths involving English, Welsh and Northern Irish constables who are carrying out policing functions in Scotland?
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I agree with this proposal. If an officer from elsewhere is working within Scotland then they should follow the same Code of Conduct as our own officers
Section 15: Review of, and recommendations about, practices and policies of the police
22. What are your views on the proposals for the PIRC to review and make recommendations on the practices and policies of Police Scotland or the SPA, either in relation to a specific complaint or more generally?
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Agree
Section 16: Provision of information to the Commissioner
23. What are your views on the proposal to allow the PIRC to have remote access to Police Scotland’s complaints management database?
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Agree
Section 17: Advisory board to the Commissioner
24. What are your views on the proposal to establish a statutory advisory board for the PIRC?
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Agree
Recommendations made by Lady Elish Angiolini
25. What are your views on the implementation of these recommendations?
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The implementation of these recommendations is extremely important to enable the police to build trust with the public. As a member of the public I certainly have lost any trust I had in Police Scotland.