Justice Sub-Committee on Policing

Meeting date: Thursday, December 5, 2019

Official Report 543KB pdf

Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency

Our next item of business is consideration of the Metropolitan Police Service’s recent peer review of Police Scotland’s anti-corruption unit’s investigation of the former Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency. I refer members to paper 4, which is a note from the clerk, and to paper 5, which is a private paper.

As members will be aware, there are live court proceedings in relation to the case, so I draw their attention to standing orders rule 7.5, on sub judice issues—I am sure that members know the rule word perfect—and ask them to be mindful of that when they make any remarks on the record.

I invite members to give their views on the Metropolitan Police Service’s recent peer review.

There is a suggestion that you could, on behalf of the sub-committee, write to the Scottish Police Authority to ask whether consideration has concluded. There are probably a number of detailed questions that we will want to fold into that request, but that seems to be a sensible way of proceeding.

We will write to the SPA to seek clarification of whether its consideration of the issue has concluded. We will ask a range of questions and, as ever, the letter will be published on our website. Do members agree?

Members indicated agreement.