Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00216/26
The Complaints
The complaint in this case arose after the applicant reported a theft to the police. The applicant’s jacket, and its contents, were stolen whilst he was in a public house. The applicant viewed CCTV which showed a female picking up his jacket and leaving the premises. Police Scotland traced the suspect and issued them with a Recording Police Warning in April 2026. We have reviewed the handling of three complaints, namely that:
the length of time taken to investigate the applicant’s report of theft was excessive.
the applicant received a lack of updates regarding the theft of his jacket and contents; and
the applicant believed a report should have been submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) due to the value of the items stolen.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold the applicant’s complaints.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland did not handle the applicant’s complaints to a reasonable standard.
Consequently, we have made three recommendations to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaints. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland conducts further necessary and proportionate enquiries into complaint 1, reassesses complaint 2 and provides a further response to all three complaints.
We have also identified two learning points relative to Police Scotland’s administration of the complaints.
Our recommendations and learning points should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland