Tracker slacker
Yousaf slammed for failing to monitor fixes to the police complaints system
Gordon Blackstock
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has been criticised for failing to back a system to monitor fixes to the police complaintsp pprocess he has supportedd in Holyrood.
Politicians, ex- police off icers and justice campaignerspaigners had called for an “actionon tracker” to be used to measure how well the force was doing in response to recommendationsns made by Dame Elish Angiolini. lini.
A report by the former lord advocate, publishedshed last November, madede 111 recommendationsons to improve Police Scotland’s tland’s complaints systemm and governance.
Former Scottish sh Pol ice Authority y board member Moi i Ali said an “action tracker” should be used to show the progress the force was making in response to the report. And in the ScottishSco Parliament in November, Yousaf had welcomedw the plan. Pressed on the issuissue by Tory shadow justice spokesperson Liam Kerr, he said: “I do not think the acaction tracker is a bad idea. I’m more than happy to look at it.” But the ScottishScott Government have now refusedrefuse to use it, leading to claims there is limited intent to change the systesystem.
Ali said: “This is a big failing. As well as being aan idea that was welcomed, iit’s hard to come up with a singsingle reason why they won’t use an action tracker. “It wouldwo give the public an easyeasy-to-use, at-a-glance way to monitor how well Dame Elish’s recommendations datio are being acted on. ThThere is little doubt the bodies involved – Police Poli Scotland, Police Inve Investigations & Review
Commissioner and the Scottish Pol ice Authority – will have their own internal action tracker monitoring their progress.
“We are just talking about a web page being updated. The cost would be negligible.”
Ian Clarke, a former custody sergeant with Police Scotland who faced a criminal prosecution over assault charges dismissed by a sheriff as not “credible” when they came to court, said the justice secretary had “missed an opportunity”.
The 54-year-old said: “An action tracker would have allowed the public to measure what was being done in response to Dame Elish’s report.”
The Scottish Government has said it will “accept the majority” of her recommendations.
Kerr said: “It seems clear there is a fundamental lack of intent to take action.”
The Scottish Government said: “All partners are responding to Dame Elish’s recommendations and providing regular updates on their progress.
“The Scottish Government and Crown Office issued a response last week confirming we would publish progress in a way that is meaningful and accessible to a range of audiences.”
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