Tuesday 8 July 2014

Police Complaint Update: 7 July 2014

Just to let you all know that we have not yet received a formal written response to our complaint regarding the policing of the FAC protest at the SNP Spring conference in Aberdeen in April (see earlier posts for details).

The officer charged with investigating the complaint did attempt to give a verbal update but I curtailed the conversation when it became clear that he was happy to tell me things that were frankly implausible.  Well, maybe happy is not the correct word, willing is probably the more accurate way to describe it.

We were informed that the report would be completed around 25th June and that a senior officer would issue a written response to me.  So far, no response has been received, but I will inform you all when one arrives!

In the meantime, a complaint being progressed by my MSP has elicited a response from Chief Constable House of the Police Service of Scotland in which he denies knowing we were followed (a fact already admitted by the complaint investigation officer!); claims we were planning to march from McDonalds with a group of around 200 to the AECC that day (chance would have been a fine thing) and that this was why the Section 12 Notice was issued; and when asked if Police Scotland had any contact with anyone representing the SNP prior to the decision being taken to issue a Section 12 Notice, replied that 'Chief Inspector Topping' had had no such contact.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that this was not the question asked but most of you will not know that at the point the Section 12 Notice was issued, all 19 of us were already at the AECC so whatever he was trying to do, it was not preventing a 'march' from McDonalds to the AECC since we had already arrived!

One further point, we have yet more evidence of Police Service of Scotland interference in FAC activities.......more of that later - once we have submitted the relevant official complaint!

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