Constabulary allowed specialist officers to routinely carry guns before the launch of the new single force. Police Scotland has adopted this approach across the country since its launch in April last year. Previous policy on firearms indicated that officers had to retrieve their weapons from locked safes in armed response vehicles with permission from a senior officer. The Scottish Police Authority and for Constabulary are Her Majesty’s Inspectorate both investigating the issue. The Commission issued a press release welcoming the reviews and highlighting concerns over lack of public engagement: In the meantime Police Scotland has reversed the decision. The Scottish Human Rights Commission welcomes Police announcement that armed police Scotland’s officers will now only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there is a threat to life. However, we remain of the view that decisions of this kind are not simply an operational matter for Police Scotland. Changes to police policies and practices that increase the presence of lethal weapons on streets should only happen Scotland’s with appropriate governance, scrutiny and meaningful dialogue with the public. The Commission therefore looks forward to the outcome of the pending inquiries into these issues by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. There are important lessons to be learned from recent events for all concerned with policing in Scotland and we look forward to working with Police Scotland and others, through National Action Plan for Human Rights, to embed better Scotland’s protection of human rights within police structures and culture. HMICS reported to Parliament on 27 October 2014, finding that Police Scotland has fully complied with all relevant United Kingdom armed policing guidance, and that the decision represented best practice. The report did however raise concerns and make recommendations in relation to the role of the Scottish Police Authority and the way that Police Scotland engaged with the public in relation to communicating changes to operational practice. The Commission is currently considering this report.
Constabulary allowed specialist officers to routinely carry guns before the launch of the new single force. Police Scotland has adopted this approach across the country since its launch in April last year. Previous policy on firearms indicated that officers had to retrieve their weapons from locked safes in armed response vehicles with permission from a senior officer. The Scottish Police Authority and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary are both investigating the issue. The Commission issued a press release welcoming the reviews and highlighting concerns over lack of public engagement: In the meantime Police Scotland has reversed the decision. The Scottish Human Rights Commission welcomes Police Scotland’s announcement that armed police officers will now only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there is a threat to life. However, we remain of the view that decisions of this kind are not simply an operational matter for Police Scotland. Changes to police policies and practices that increase the presence of lethal weapons on Scotland’s streets should only happen with appropriate governance, scrutiny and meaningful dialogue with the public. The Commission therefore looks forward to the outcome of the pending inquiries into these issues by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. There are important lessons to be learned from recent events for all concerned with policing in Scotland and we look forward to working with Police Scotland and others, through Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights, to embed better protection of human rights within police structures and culture. HMICS reported to Parliament on 27 October 2014, finding that Police Scotland has fully complied with all relevant United Kingdom armed policing guidance, and that the decision represented best practice. The report did however raise concerns and make recommendations in relation to the role of the Scottish Police Authority and the way that Police Scotland engaged with the public in relation to communicating changes to operational practice. The Commission is currently considering this report.
policing-and-human-rights.docx