Police watchdog probes officers over ‘wrongful arrest’

A watchdog is investigating claims of “criminal neglect of duty” against police officers over the way they dealt with the alleged wrongful arrest of a man more than two years ago.

The probe by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) centres on the arrest of an unnamed individual in April 2015 and will focus on the actions of “a number” of serving officers within Police Scotland.

No further details of the case at the centre of the probe have been released by the Pirc.

The arrested man contacted the Pirc after he was unhappy with the way police dealt with his complaints about the way he was treated.

Potential criminality involving the officers was then discovered when Pirc’s review team began an examination of how the police handled the man’s complaints.

The matters were then drawn to the attention of the Crown Office, which has now given the go-ahead for the Pirc to conduct a full investigation into the whole circumstances surrounding the case.

A Pirc spokesman said: “The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is undertaking an investigation into allegations of criminal neglect of duty against a number of officers serving with Police Scotland.

“The potential criminality was identified by the commissioner while conducting a complaint handling review into how Police Scotland dealt with complaints relating to the alleged wrongful arrest of a man in April 2015.

“The matter was drawn to the attention of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), who have now referred it to the Pirc for investigation.

“A report on the commissioner’s findings will be submitted to the COPFS in due course.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the investigation and as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”