Police Scotland is “not in the same area” as the Metropolitan Police over the handling of misconduct claims, a senior policing figure has said.
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s The Nine on Tuesday, David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said the way policing is done in Scotland is different to the rest of the UK. His comments come following the publication of a damning report into culture and standards at Britain’s biggest force.
The Baroness Casey report into the Met found the force was institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic. Mr Kennedy insisted Police Scotland had a “vigorous” way of dealing with any officer who falls foul of behaviour expected of them.
He said: “Officers will be suspended if it is serious enough, they will go through an investigation – but prior to that would be a criminal investigation and that’s reported to the Crown.” Mr Kennedy acknowledged the report was “absolutely horrendous”.
He added: “You can’t defend it. What I can say is I don’t think Police Scotland is in the same area as the Metropolitan Police.
“We know the way we police in Scotland is different. We have corroboration in Scotland as well.
“If you go back to the riots in London in 2011, a lot of Scottish police officers who went down to London to work. We know from the reception they got from the members of public they were playing football in the street with youngsters, they were in speaking to shopkeepers who were astounded that the police were actually speaking to them, bringing them cups of tea etc, we know it’s entirely different.”
Victims of crime and their families have hit out at the Metropolitan Police following the publication of Baroness Louise Casey's scathing report on Tuesday. The 363-page paper, commissioned following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Met officer Wayne Couzens in 2021, said the Met has failed to protect the public from officers who abuse women.
There are racist officers and staff and a "deep-seated homophobia" exists in the organisation, the review found. The peer said that she could not guarantee that there are not more men like murderer Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick serving in the Met.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said this was "one of the darkest days" in the history of the force. Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the Commons on Tuesday that there had been "serious failures of culture, leadership, and standards" in the force, and some issues could take years to fully address.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said he accepts the findings of the report, but refused to acknowledge that the problems within the force were "instutional". Apologising to those let down by the force, he said the Met is taking action to improve vetting and getting rid of more officers who should not be serving.
Asked for his reaction when he first read the report he said: "It's disturbing. It's upsetting. It's heartbreaking."
Sir Mark went on: "To be part of an organisation that has let individuals down so badly is deeply upsetting. And that's where part of my own motivation comes from.
"Because we have to right this wrong. We have to deal with these cultural problems. And the vast majority of my colleagues are up for this."
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