Force to apologise over ‘unwarranted’ actions of firearms officers
Police Scotland has been asked to apologise after members of the public were targeted at gunpoint.
Firearms officers were deployed in Edinburgh last July after an unidentified man reported armed men outside his flat in the early hours of the morning.
Over the next hour and a half, the officers were deployed seven times, pointing their weapons at several people and ordering others out of their homes and cars.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) found many of the force’s actions were unwarranted and recommended it issue an apology.
Police Scotland has now confirmed it is writing to the individuals involved to apologise.
PIRC Commissioner Kate Frame said: “While these were fast moving events which related to a number of significant issues, it resulted in four armed response vehicles and nine firearms officers being deployed on seven occasions and police pointing their guns at eleven people on three separate occasions over a period of less than an hour and a half.
“A number of these people were detained and searched on the strength, principally of allegations made by an unidentifiable male and this action in a number of instances appears to have been entirely unwarranted.
“The recommendations have already been discussed with Police Scotland and I know that senior officers have already taken steps to implemented some of my recommendations.”
On July 22 last year, Police Scotland received reports that five black men were outside an Edinburgh flat armed with guns, Tasers and knives.
Four armed response vehicles and nine armed officers were deployed but found no trace of any suspects or weapons.
The officers were then called to a series of incidents including one where a vehicle had been left open with its lights on at a retail park.
Three young men who reported the incident described how assault rifles were pointed at them and they were ordered not to move.
The officers denied the allegations.
Minutes later, firearms officers were sent to a flat where they were told to carry out an armed detention of the owner and search his property and his vehicle.
The owner was handcuffed and detained in his pyjamas, but was released when it emerged he was not connected to the earlier incidents.
His neighbours were then confronted in the stairwell and told the PIRC that officers pointed weapons at them and told them to return to their flats.
The PIRC found it was likely that guns were pointed at the members of the public and that “such actions were unwarranted”.
Later that morning, firearms officers forced five people out of their vehicles at gunpoint and took them into custody.
Despite there being no evidence to connect them to the incidents, two women were strip searched and kept in custody for nearly 24 hours.
The only evidence connecting these people to the previous events were the reports of the unidentified caller.
Chief Superintendent Matt Richards, head of specialist services, said: “The officers involved in responding to this incident were all acting in good faith in what was a difficult and fast-moving situation. However, it is clear that on this occasion it was not handled well.
“A thorough review took place following the incident and a number of measures were put in place to address the issues that have now been identified by the PIRC.
“We are also writing to the individuals involved to apologise and I want to do that again publicly now.”