Call for new agency to probe police
dead man’s family urges justice secretary to set up independent body to investigate complaints
Published:
Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill is being urged to set up an independent agency to probe complaints of corruption involving police officers.
The call has been made by the family of a young Wick man who believe that his sudden death in the town in February 1997 remains unexplained.
The relatives of Kevin McLeod have been at loggerheads with Northern Constabulary since the tragedy.
They believe an off-duty officer was involved in a fight with the 24-year-old shortly before he ended up at the bottom of the town’s harbour.
The family also claims Mr McLeod was murdered and that his killer or killers have not been brought to book because of police incompetence. Kevin’s uncle, Allan McLeod, from Alness, said their long campaign to win justice for Kevin has highlighted to them the need for a separate anti-corruption division.
He said: “My family and I have, from the outset, suspected that a police officer was involved with Kevin's death.
“We believe that the numerous and serious failures by his colleagues to conduct a full and proper murder investigation – as instructed by the procurator fiscal – was nothing other than a deliberate attempt by police officers to protect their colleague from prosecution.
“This included concealing vital information from the murder inquiry and immediately destroying vital evidence.”
Mr McLeod said it was vital that Scotland set up an independent anti-corruption agency, similar to those that exist in England and Northern Ireland. He said: “The Scottish public has no trust or faith in the current police complaints procedure of police investigating their own colleagues, which is clearly not fit for purpose.
“An independent and robust public police complaints system in Scotland is absolutely essential to ensure Scottish police forces are accountable to the public they are supposed to serve.”
The McLeods are seeking support for their plea from John McNeill, the police complaints commissioner for Scotland.
Northern Constabulary insists no new evidence about the death has emerged to warrant a cold-case review.
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