Abolition of Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland

That the Parliament notes with concern the letter of 22 February 2011 from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to the Convener of the Justice Committee stating that it was the intention of the Scottish Government to proceed with the transfer of the functions of the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS) to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO); believes that police complaints require specific expertise and understanding for proper handling and that what it considers as the generalist experience of the SPSO is not best suited to this; further believes that effective and independent machinery for handling police complaints underlay the establishment of the PCCS in the first place, and calls for a rethink of the transfer proposal by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice.