POLICE Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone’s comments last week, suggesting that the Scottish force is, among other negative characteristics, “institutionally racist and discriminatory”, reminded me of the departing Children’s Commissioner’s claim that the former First Minister had failed young people on their human rights.
You have to wonder whether they made enough of a fuss about these failings earlier in their careers and if not, why not?
Many serving officers are reportedly and understandably offended. I certainly would be.
READ MORE: Iain Livingstone: Police Scotland is racist, sexist, and misogynistic
While I do not wish to suggest that Police Scotland does not have a problem with racism and sexism, it remains important that the public is not made unduly anxious on the basis of largely impressionistic comments and a small number of high-profile cases, with little context.
In March this year, the National reported that 29 police officers are currently being investigated over racism and 54 for sexual misconduct in Scotland.
There are currently around 23,000 officers and other staff. Those 29 and 54 represent only 0.12% and 0.23% of the total staffing.
Across Scotland last year there were more than 3107 cases of racism and 15,000 sexual crimes, reported.
The Metropolitan Police has around 35,000 staff, about one-and-half-times as many as Police Scotland.
All things being equal, the Met might be expected to have had around 45 cases of racial offences and 80 cases of sexual offences by staff being investigated but in 2022 actually had 100 racial offences and 212 sexual offences, between two and three times the level in Scotland.
That the Met seems to have even greater problems does not, of course, excuse those offenders in Police Scotland but these figures and the scale of racism and sexism more widely across Scottish society does put into perspective the comments of the outgoing Chief Constable and provides the kind of factual evidence needed to begin to address the problems carefully.
Alan Dorans is the SNP MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock and a former detective inspector with the Metropolitan Police
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