Mcleod family call for action on 'damning report'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE family of a Caithness man, whose body was found in Wick harbour nearly 24 years ago, has urged the Scottish Government to implement the recommendations in a damning report on the police complaints system.
June and Hugh Mcleod believe their 24-year-old son, Kevin, was murdered because of the injuries on his body but the police insist his death in February 1997 was a tragic accident. The Mcleods, along with Kevin's uncle, Allan Mcleod, and other members of the family, have been fighting to find out the truth for more than two decades.
They point out that in December 2017, Police Scotland admitted that legacy force Northern Constabulary failed to act on the then procurator fiscal's instruction to investigate Kevin’s death as a murder.
The Mcleods welcomed the findings of the report by Dame Elish Angiolini – a former Lord Advocate of Scotland – and now want all her recommendations implemented. She addressed the justice sub- committee at the Scottish Parliament this week.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Allan Mcleod, said: "Dame Elish’s evidence to the committee was powerful and got straight to the point. The current police complaints system has to change for the public to have any respect and confidence in it.
"It’s now right and proper the Scottish government delivers without delay all of the recommendations and not for them to be stuck in a bottom drawer and forgotten about. Put simply, police policies must change."
"It’s also crucial that the Scottish Police Federation, and other organisations who stand accused of failing to deliver change in the past, are not allowed to obstruct or delay the implementation of the recommendations. We agree with the suggestion recently put forward by Liam Kerr MSP to introduce an action tracker to chart progress and to ensure that each decision on a recommendation could be readily held to account."
Mr Mcleod added: "There are even former police officers who lodged complaints and saw their careers destroyed saying the complaints system is broken and needs changed. With all due respect to those former police officers ... our lives too have been destroyed after fighting against what, we believe, is a biased and corrupt system for nearly 24 years. Our complaints and Kevin’s case as a whole, is now being independently investigated by an English force, Merseyside Police. This clearly, is a sad reflection of policing in Scotland today".
The bid to change the police complaints system has been backed by the Scottish Conservatives.
Its leader, Douglas Ross, said the party took its stance after hearing "appalling accounts of injustice from across Scotland.
He said:"Dame Elish’s review is damning and lays bare a police complaints process that is not fit for purpose and which, if left unchanged, risks damaging public confidence in policing.
"A common theme is how an initial mistake or wrongdoing which could easily have been fixed was instead compounded by the broken system.
"Dame Elish is clear that significant reform is vital and we're determined to build a robust, transparent, efficient and fair complaints process fit for a modern Scottish justice system."
