Question reference: S6W-08322
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 3 May 2022
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what human rights considerations it took into account when taking the decision to approve the deployment of Police Scotland officers to Colombia.
Answer
The Scottish Government gives full consideration to ensuring all human rights obligations are stringently assessed and observed for all Police Scotland requests for overseas deployments, including to Colombia. For our part, the Scottish Government condemns human rights abuses wherever they occur and has always been clear that Scottish public authorities, including Police Scotland, should act to promote human rights and to challenge poor practice in the context of any engagement with overseas partners
Police Scotland complete an Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment prior to any approach to the Scottish Government to ensure that all activity is consistent with all domestic and international human rights obligations. All Police Scotland engagement with Colombia has been undertaken with the full support of the British Embassy in Bogota, and the UN International Organization for Migration (UN IOM). Safeguards have been built in to the arrangements for the deployment so that appropriate action can be taken should any human rights concerns be identified by Police Scotland officers. These are as follows:
- All interventions by Police Scotland incorporate measures to reduce the risk of human rights violations.
- Training on Human Rights is incorporated into all courses and interventions.
- Police Scotland retains and provides for reduction, suspension or stopping assistance, if they identify any human rights concerns.
- Police Scotland staff are specifically briefed to raise participants’ awareness that good practice respects human rights at every opportunity.