Police deal with record complaints

A RECORD number of police complaint investigations reached their conclusion last year, it has emerged.

The number of finalised cases has risen 43 per cent, said the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland, which reviews the way the police deal with complaints. It finalised 215 cases in 2011-12, compared with 150 in 2010-11, according to its annual report.

A cross-section of complaints the commissioner has investigated since it was established in 2007 include a woman forcibly stripped by both female and male officers; a second mishandled strip search; an innocent protester detained for refusing to give his name; the “kettling” of protesters; and an off-duty officer who illegally arrested a man following an argument.

Upheld complaints have risen slightly from 207 in 2010-11 to 229 last year.