More than 100 allegations made against key police unit

● Force’s elite counter-corruption officers accused of criminality

Police Scotland’s countercorruption unit is being investigatedamidacriminalallegation that officers attempted to pervert the course of justice.

In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s justice committee, Chief Constable Phil Gormley said there were a further 11 non-criminal allegations all made by a member of the force earlier this year.

Mr Gormley said there had been a total of 25 complaints involving 108 allegations made against counter-corruption officers since 2009, many of which pre-dated the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.

Most of the files have now been closed.

In a letter to the committee, Mr Gormley wrote: “I would like to take this opportunity to inform the committee that a further complaint made by a member of Police Scotland about the counter-corruption unit within the above time period has been identified.

“The complaint includes one criminal allegation of an attempt to pervert the course of justice and 11 non-criminal allegations. This is currently the subject of an investigation.”

Mr Gormley said a previous allegation of attempting to pervert the course of justice relating to Strathclyde Police had earlier been considered by the procurator-fiscal.

While no proceedings were taken, concerns were raised about the “shortcoming” of the investigation and “corrective advice” was issued to a police officer concerned.

The chief constable also confirmed that a murder inquiry into the death of sex worker Emma Caldwell was not “live” when a senior officer told MSPS it was.

Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson, who has since retired from the force, has been accused of misleading the justice committee over the matter when he gave evidence to MSPS in December.

Then Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland ordered the case be reinvestigated in May last year following media reports about a “forgotten” suspect.

Mr Gormley said: “I consider it appropriate to now advise you and the committee members that in April 2015 the inquiry into the murder of Emma Caldwell was not live.

“I am reluctant at this time to draw a conclusion in regard to this point, as investigations continue, and trust the com-

0 Phil Gormley revealed the allegations in a letter to MSPS mittee understand my position in the matter.” Durham Constabulary is currently carrying out a review of complaints against staff in the counter-corruption unit at Police Scotland’s request.