HM Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland made 39 recommendations for improvement after investigating Police Scotland’s Counter Corruption Unit (CCU).
The review was ordered after claims that the unit broke rules trying to discover details about a journalist’s source following a newspaper article on the investigation of the murder of Glasgow woman Emma Caldwell.
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) ordered the investigation last year after it emerged that guidelines on accessing data without proper consent had been breached.
HMICS Derek Penman found said: “My examination of CCU intelligence files also raised concerns over the routine management, oversight and wider governance of CCU enquiries, including the extent to which chief officers are actively briefed and can direct on CCU matters.
“The primary concern was over a general lack of transparency and accountability within the CCU, and frustration by police officers that when they raised complaints against CCU officers, these were not taken seriously or independently investigated.”
“I have recommended that the service should urgently review its approach to tackling corruption and develop both the capability and capacity for effective pro-active anti-corruption investigations that are underpinned by a robust intelligence function
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
