Complaints: New guidance has been called for. Pic: © STV
Complaints about police must be dealt with in the same way across Scotland, according to watchdogs.
Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland John McNeill believes that the way forces currently record and present allegations made against them does not help identify the number of individual complainants.
He believes levels of satisfaction may therefore not be truly reflected.
Mr McNeill called on the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) to develop comprehensive, national guidance on the issue. He has written to Acpos president Pat Shearer to voice his concerns.
Mr McNeill said: "It's all about consistency. The public needs to be confident that, no matter where they make a complaint, it will be recorded and reported in a consistent way across all of Scotland's police forces. I am looking to Acpos to take the lead in actively developing national guidance."
The Police Complaints Commissioner provides independent scrutiny of the way the police handle non-criminal complaints from the public.
