‘Major overhaul needed’

DISCRIMINATION against women in policing was uncovered in a damning report by a former Lord Advocate.

Dame Elish Angiolini said she was ‘deeply concerned to hear about discrimination experienced by female police officers and staff’.

The landmark report, published last November, found attitudes had not changed ‘as much as they should’ and raised the alarm over racism and homophobia in the ranks. Police Scotland responded by launching an independent review group to recommend how to counter the problems.

It sparked a secrecy row last week after the Mail revealed that its members would be required to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), raising fears over transparency.

Papers submitted to the Scottish Police Authority by the group claim that the NDAs are aimed at ‘enabling an open dialogue’.

In her 38-page report, Dame Elish said there was still ‘underlying sexism and differing degrees of machismo culture in different parts of the service’.

She recommended an overhaul with public disciplinaries, a greater role for the Police Investigations and Review Commission, and the rollout of bodyworn cameras. Dame Elish said black and minority recruits were quitting due to discrimination more than 20 years after an inquiry warned of ‘institutional racism’ in policing after the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

She called for deaths in custody to be investigated with the same urgency as murders after Sheku Bayoh died amid allegations of police brutality in 201 .

The Scottish Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, was critical of some aspects of the report.

General secretary Calum Steele said: ‘There are those who will never be satisfied with any complaints process, and we cannot be surprised they would have contributed adverse commentary to this review.’