- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13385 by Keith Brown on 9 January 2023, for what reasons it does not hold the requested information and what consideration it has given to doing so.
Answer
It is for Police Scotland to collect and hold relevant information on their workforce and it would be for them to respond to any requests for information in relation to serving Police Officers with a criminal record. You may wish to view Police Scotland’s web site in regards to the provision of information by that organisation, link attached https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/ .
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11947, for what reason the information is not held, and whether it will consider recording the information.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
The decision as to whether a member of staff discloses that they have attended hospital is one for the individual member of staff, and there is no requirement for this information to be shared. SPS has a focus on supporting staff who may have been injured, and ensuring that any reasonable preventative measures can be put in place to ensure that the likelihood of a similar incident occurring is mitigated as much as possible.
At this time, there are no plans to change the current methods of recording, however SPS will always look at ways which we can ensure we provide the right support to our staff.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the National Police Chiefs’ Council's request for all police forces in the UK, including Police Scotland, to check their officers and staff against national police databases to identify any concerns or anomalies.
Answer
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Chair asked chief constables in England and Wales to take immediate action to check officers and staff against the national police database. While Police Scotland are a member of the National Police Chief’s Council, the direction in this case was provided via the Home Office. However, following discussions with the NPCC, Police Scotland have confirmed that they will align with the work being taken forward in England and Wales and check all officers and staff against national systems for criminal records and ongoing investigations.
In 2022 Police Scotland increased vetting resources by nearly 50% and introduced an additional check for new recruits, prior to being sworn into office. From April, they are also introducing dip sampling which will see around 1,200 vetting reviews of officers and staff being conducted each year.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Elena Whitham on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the average (a) age and (b) retirement age is of a firefighter.
Answer
The age of firefighters, broken down into 5 year age bands is published on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Website under its Organisational Statistics. Under the various firefighter final salary pension schemes, the majority of firefighters chose to retire after 30 years service rather than at a particular age. Government Actuary Department data shows that between 31 March 2016 to 31 March 2020, the average retirement age was 54.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) Police Scotland vehicles have been involved in car accidents and road traffic collisions and (b) officers have required hospitalisation as a result in each year since 2013.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information as responsibility for ensuring the safety of Police Officers and for Police Scotland vehicles sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. I have asked Police Scotland to write to the member with this information.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the value of money that has been lost through cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Scotland, and how many (a) charges and (b) convictions related to this there have been, in each year for which data is available.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the amount of money lost through cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Scotland, and the data held for the Criminal Proceedings statistics is unable to separately identify any related charges and convictions which involve cryptocurrency. Collecting data on this subject is very challenging, with the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) highlighting that for most types of cyber fraud, a majority of victims did not report the incident to the authorities.
Scottish Government statisticians are continuing to develop the evidence base in this area. For example, the Recorded Crime in Scotland National Statistics now include analysis of cyber-crimes recorded by the police. In 2021-22 almost half (48%) of recorded fraud was estimated to have been online/through the internet, representing around 8,000 crimes. Whilst this will include incidents of cryptocurrency scams, these cases are not separately identifiable within the data. Work is also being taken forward to develop and incorporate a new module into the SCJS, which will allow us to estimate the volume of fraud and computer misuse experienced in Scotland, including those crimes not reported to the police. These new questions will include details of financial loss arising from cyber fraud. Users will be kept informed as to the development of this work, including when the first results are expected to be published.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many dash camera systems on Police Scotland vehicles have been reported as either not working, broken, corrupted or defective in each year since 2013, and what the average time taken to replace or repair broken dash camera systems is.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information as responsibility for the maintenance of Police vehicles sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. Police Scotland has confirmed that they hold a stock of replacement dash cameras which can be fitted to their vehicles should one develop a fault; dependant on the locality of the vehicle, type of equipment fitted and the type of fault, this can be done on the same day.
I have asked Police Scotland to write to the member with this information.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Elena Whitham on 30 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the letter of October 2022 from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to the Criminal Justice Committee regarding follow-up points on its pre-budget scrutiny, whether it will list the (a) 220 fire stations that were assessed as “poor or bad with regards suitability”, (b) 11 fire stations identified that do not have a water supply and (c) fire stations that do not have “sufficient” showering facilities.
Answer
The facilities in place at the 357 fire stations in Scotland are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget, including whether to prioritise fleet, equipment or buildings is a matter for SFRS.
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS to ensure it has the resources it needs to keep communities safe. SFRS is currently undertaking an assessment of the risks faced by communities and the assets which are needed to deal with those risks and this will inform future discussions on both capital and resource budgets.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of individuals who have engaged in international child sex tourism, and how many convictions there have been in relation to this offence, in each year for which data is available.
Answer
People engaged in sexual abuse of children outside the United Kingdom can be prosecuted in Scotland under either Sections 54 and 55 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 or Section 16(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995. Section 16(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 and Section 55 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 cover people who engage in child sex tourism, whilst Section 54 of the 2009 Act covers incitement to commit such offences.
Within the span of the financial years 1995-1996 to 2020-21 a total of eight people have been convicted in Scotland for sexual abuse of children outside the United Kingdom related charges. Specifically:
- Two people in 2007-08 (under Section 16(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995);
- One person in 2009-10 (under Section 16(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995);
- One person in 2010-11 (under Section 16(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995);
- One person in 2018-19 (under Section 54 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009);
- Two people in 2019-20 (one under Section 54 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 and one under Section 55 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009); and
- One person in 2020-21 (under Section 55 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009).
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support young people with speech difficulties.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023
