Police union leader probed over Twitter attack on ex-chief
SPF boss rant sparks an official complaint
The union leader of Scotland’s rank and file police officers is being investigated over an abusive Twitter tirade against a retired female police chief.
Calum Steele said that former Police Scotland assistant chief constable Angela Wilson was “one of the most incompetent imbeciles ever to have held rank in the police service”.
He also branded her “useless” and a “buffoon” and stated that a corruption inquiry in her former force Tayside “extended” to her.
Steele is genera l secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) who have 18,500 members and represent 98 per cent of police officers.
Wilson— now chair of the Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre in Dundee — has lodged a formal complaint with Police Scotland and the SPF.
She declined to comment but a source said: “These tweets are nasty and personal but also laughable to anyone who knows Angela. Her track record speaks for itself.
“She initially thought it best to ignore them but has had enough of people in policing being personally attacked for speaking out about moral and ethical issues — particularly women.
“Steele is a full-time federation official but he is a police officer and the rules apply to him as well.”
The federation boss launched his attack after Wilson said LEAD ROLE Livingstone, top, and Gormley interim Chief Constable Iain Livingstone should not get the job permanently due to a previous sexual attack allegation.
Livingstone was cleared of assaulting a female junior officer at a police training college in 2000 but was demoted from superintendent to constable. His loss of rank was overturned on appeal.
Questioned about the incident in BBC documentary A Force in Crisis, he said he had consumed too much alcohol and that “he fell asleep in the wrong place and that was wrong”.
Steele posted a string of six tweets last week after Wilson spoke out.
The first said she was “one of the most incompetent imbeciles ever to have held rank in the police service”.
It claimed she was continuing “a smear on one of the very best”, adding: “You really need to ask – who is driving this?”
He went on to say that Wilson had served in Thames Valley Police as did Claire Gormley, the wife of Phil Gormley who quit as head of Police Scotland in February following bullying allegations against him.
Steele added: “AW [Angela Wilson] and the Gormleys have an axe to grind. It’s frankly pathetic.”
He also described Livingstone as “one of the most talented, able, skilled and resilient police officers”.
Scottish Tories justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: “Mr Steele has a position of responsibility and should probably have thought more carefully before embarking on this chain of tweets.
“The result of this is now a potential legal case which will drag the force and its associated bodies through the mud at a time it never needed it less.”
Chief Superintendent Mark Hargreaves said: “We have received a complaint regarding this matter and are investigating it. No serving officer is exempt from the provisions of the Police Service of Scotland (Conduct) Regulations 2014.”
Steele did not respond. His lawyer Callum Anderson, of Levy & McRae, declined to comment.