POLICE SCOTLAND SUSPENDS 45 OFFICERS OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Police Scotland has confirmed that 45 serving officers are currently suspended over allegations of violence against women and girls. Chief constable Jo Farrell told the BBC that between 40 and 50 people were suspended and under investigation, with cases at various stages, before the force clarified the figure at 45 and said not all of those suspended are subject to a criminal investigation. Farrell said she expected further officers to face sanctions. She added that around 8,000 officers and staff still need to be revetted for their roles following a change in regulations introduced earlier this year. Farrell described violence against women and girls in Scotland as an "epidemic" and said police forces are not immune to the problem.

The disclosure follows a series of cases involving current or former Police Scotland officers this year. Alan Greer, a long-serving officer, took his own life after being arrested over an alleged rape in 2012; a BBC Disclosure investigation in July found he had repeatedly attacked and attempted to murder women over a 14-year period, and further inquiries found he had passed vetting checks to join Strathclyde Police in 2009 despite two prior reports of criminal behaviour against women. In September, retired officer Campbell Petrie was convicted of nine charges, including two of rape, committed over 17 years while serving. Officer Cameron Ross was jailed for 10 years in July for raping two women and abusing a third in the Highlands and Western Isles.

Farrell said a review into how the Greer case was handled is under way, and parts of it will be made public, to establish whether gaps in vetting allowed his offending to continue. First Minister John Swinney said he had "full confidence" in Police Scotland and its renewed vetting process. Craig Naylor, chief inspector at HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, said it was "absolutely abhorrent" when officers abuse their power and break the law, adding that any breach of public trust requires an effective investigation.