Report – Police Scotland – PIRC/00247/26
The Complaint
The complaint in this case arose after the applicant contacted his local police force to report that he had been a victim of harassment.
We have reviewed the handling of one complaint, namely that:
In December 2025, Police Scotland refused to take over an investigation originally initiated by [Named Constabulary], whereby the alleged perpetrator resides in Scotland.
Police Scotland's Decision
Police Scotland did not uphold the applicant’s complaint.
Our Findings
We have found that Police Scotland did not handle the applicant’s complaint to a reasonable standard.
Consequently, we have made one recommendation to address the shortcomings in Police Scotland’s handling of the complaint. In summary, we have recommended that Police Scotland re-categorise the complaint and record a subject officer, conduct any further necessary enquiries and re-assess the available information in light of our observations. Thereafter, Police Scotland should provide the applicant with a well-reasoned further response which clearly explains whether the complaint is upheld or not upheld.
Our recommendation should be implemented by Police Scotland within two months of the date of this report.
Police Bodies: Police Scotland