Police subject of misconduct probe over spy investigation
Northern Ireland’s force hold inquiry into seven serving officers
Seven serving officers are being investigated for gross misconduct after Police Scotland breached spying guidelines attempting to uncover a journalist’s sources.
Police Scotland tasked the Police Service of Northern Ireland with investigating the officers’ conduct this year and this is due to conclude in the coming weeks.
It follows another probe by Durham Constabulary in 2016 after a complaint from two serving and two retired officers. The English force was brought in after the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office (IOCCO) said Police Scotland had been “reckless” in failing to obtain judicial approval when trying to access communications data.
Counter Corruption Unit (CCU) officers began the search for a journalist’s source after media reports about failings during the inquiry into the unsolved murder of Emma Caldwell in 2005.
The four complainants later took legal action to “complain of the collateral interference with their privacy”.
In an update to the Scottish Parliament’s justice subcommittee on policing, Police Scotland said: “[The Durham Constabulary] inquiry concluded in May 2017 with a detailed report received by Police Scotland.
“As a consequence of the detail contained within this report, it was assessed as appropriate to progress a conduct investigation and, as such, the Police Service of Northern Ireland undertook a gross misconduct investigation which is ongoing... Seven serving officers are the subject of this investigation, which is anticipated to conclude in the coming weeks.”
The ccuw as overhauled and renamed the Anti-corruption Unit (ACU) last year.
In his submission to the Holyrood committee, Calum Steele of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) union said the four officers who brought the complaint had yet to see and have expunged all “erroneous ‘intelligence’ records and files” relating to their case.
He said the “considerable delay” in launching a misconduct probe could be considered an attempt to “diminish the effects of the alleged misconduct”. He said: “I wish to be clear that many of the changes to the now ACU are welcomed by the SPF.
“We regret, however, that the apparent willingness to frustrate the remedy for officers who were wronged in the past will forever see the new ACU as an untrusted corner of the police service, just like its predecessor, the CCU.”