The Scotsman

Officer faces misconduct hearing over Saima Ahmed search failings

- BY RYAN HOOPER

A police officer is facing possible disciplina­ry action over the mysterious death of a missing librarian whose body was found on a golf course 400 miles from her home.

The unnamed Acting Detective Chief Inspector with the Metropolit­an Police will be summoned to a misconduct meeting next month over his role in the search for Saima Ahmed, following an investigat­ion by the police watchdog.

The 36-year-old’s body was found near Edinburgh’s Gogarburn Golf Club in January 2016 after she was reported missing from her home in Wembley, London, in August 2015. To date, no suspicious circumstan­ces surroundin­g the death have been discovered, and her family say they have no idea why she would have travelled to the Scottish capital.

The Independen­t Police Complains Commission said it is believed the officer has a case to answer for misconduct “for failing to pursue lines of enquiry arising out of Saima’s last known sighting or document a rationale for not doing so”.

This may have been a breach of his profession­al standards, the watchdog said.

It means the officer will attend a meeting next month to decide on his actions and any subsequent sanctions.

The seriousnes­s of the allegation would result in additional training or advice, rather than a dismissal,

 ??  ?? Saima Ahmed’s body was found in Edinburgh in 2016
Saima Ahmed’s body was found in Edinburgh in 2016

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