The Commissioner explained that—
“The title of deputy commissioner is fine but under the model that was suggested to me, the deputy commissioners would be appointed for a contracted period, which I do not think fits: it would destabilise the management team to bring people in who then move on every three to five years”. iCriminal Justice Committee, Official Report, 15 May 2024, cols 33 and 34.
In its written evidence, Amnesty International UK stated that the proposal to create a Commission accountable to the Scottish Parliament—
“is in accordance with the 2009 opinion of the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights that each Police Ombudsman or Police Complaints Commissioner should be appointed by and answerable to a legislative assembly or a committee of elected representatives that does not have express responsibilities for the delivery of policing services”.