Policing in Scotland is not covered by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and Police Scotland does not report into the datasets the rest of this site is built from. If you were stopped, searched, arrested or mistreated in Scotland, almost none of the England and Wales guidance applies to you.
Complain to Police Scotland first
A complaint about the conduct of a Police Scotland officer normally goes to Police Scotland in the first instance. You do not need a reason to complain, you do not need a solicitor, and you do not have to use a particular form. Keep a record of the date you complained and any reference number you are given, because it matters later.
Then the PIRC
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, the PIRC, is the independent body, and it does two distinct things that are easy to confuse:
- Complaint Handling Reviews. If you are unhappy with how Police Scotland handled your complaint, you can ask the PIRC to review the handling. This is a review of whether the complaint was dealt with to a reasonable standard. It is not a fresh investigation of the original incident.
- Investigations. Separately, the PIRC investigates the most serious incidents, including deaths following police contact and serious injuries, and can investigate on the direction of the Lord Advocate or at the request of the Chief Constable or the Scottish Police Authority.
Criminal allegations go elsewhere
An allegation that an officer committed a crime is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, through its Criminal Allegations Against the Police Division. That is a separate track from a conduct complaint, and one does not substitute for the other.
Civil claims run on Scottish rules
A civil claim against Police Scotland is brought in the Scottish courts under Scottish limitation rules, which are not the same as the England and Wales rules quoted elsewhere on this site. The deadlines are strict, they run separately from any complaint, and a time limit can expire while a complaint or a review is still ongoing. If a claim is a possibility, take advice from a solicitor qualified in Scotland early rather than waiting for the complaint process to finish.