A POLICE watchdog is to recruit more staff after its resources were “stretched to the limit” last year.
Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) Kate Frame (pictured) welcomed an increase of more than £1 million in her budget in recognition of the acute demands facing staff. The body currently has about 30 full-time equivalent investigators working on 31 live investigations.
Pirc is the body investigating a series of misconduct allegations against Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley.
In a letter to Holyrood’s Justice Committee, Frame said: “Throughout 2017, I continued to witness an increase in the scale and complexity of investigations referred to me and a considerable rise in the number of senior officer misconduct referrals to me by the Scottish Police Authority.”
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