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Police Scotland chief Stephen House admits stop-search error Police lost 20,000 stop-search records after 'wrong button pressed'
(35 minutes later)
Scotland's chief constable has apologised for giving incorrect information to the police watchdog over stop and search statistics. Police Scotland has admitted it lost 20,000 stop and search records because someone "pressed the wrong button".
Sir Stephen House made the apology when he appeared before a committee of MSPs at Holyrood. The admission came as senior officers appeared before a committee of MSPs at Holyrood.
He was being questioned over comments he made at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority last week. Among them was Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, who apologised for giving incorrect information to the police watchdog over stop and search statistics.
Sir Stephen told Holyrood's justice sub-committee that he had "made a mistake in the language that I used" . He was referring to comments made to the Scottish Police Authority.
But he denied claims that trust in the police had been eroded over the issue. Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson told the committee that a total of 20,086 records had been lost because a "computer programmer pressed the wrong button between May and July last year".
'Recover the data'
He added: "That lost the results data from those records. So they had been properly put on the system by the officers as a result of stopping and searching people, but we lost the outcome of it as a computer programming error.
"We have been working really hard to recover that data. I have personally overseen the sending out of several thousand emails to officers and follow-up audits. We have been working hard with HMICS to oversee everything that we do, to make sure it is done properly and I am pleased to say that the vast majority of that data, those results, are now back on the system."
Sir Stephen had earlier told Holyrood's justice sub-committee that he had "made a mistake in the language that I used" to last week's meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).
But he denied claims that trust in the police had been eroded over the stop and search controversy, and insisted the tactic made Scotland a safer place to live.
Sir Stephen's appearance before the sub-committee comes days after he admitted to the police watchdog that statistics his force released on stop-and-search were "not 100% accurate" and were "not fit for public consumption".Sir Stephen's appearance before the sub-committee comes days after he admitted to the police watchdog that statistics his force released on stop-and-search were "not 100% accurate" and were "not fit for public consumption".
He also claimed that he had been forced to release the data by the Information Commissioner.He also claimed that he had been forced to release the data by the Information Commissioner.
Emails between the commissioner and the police contradicted this claim, and showed that the information release by the police was voluntary.Emails between the commissioner and the police contradicted this claim, and showed that the information release by the police was voluntary.
BBC Scotland, which was not told that there were concerns over the accuracy of the statistics, reported earlier this month that the police were still stop-searching hundreds of children under 12, despite a commitment to end the tactic.BBC Scotland, which was not told that there were concerns over the accuracy of the statistics, reported earlier this month that the police were still stop-searching hundreds of children under 12, despite a commitment to end the tactic.
The figures suggested that 356 children were searched by police after the pledge to end the practice was made.The figures suggested that 356 children were searched by police after the pledge to end the practice was made.
Two-thirds of these searches were said to have been "consensual" and 91% recovered no items.
Children were most often searched for weapons, alcohol and stolen property.
At last week's special meeting of the Scottish Police Authority, senior officers blamed a "clunky" ICT system and problems with the recording of incidents for inaccuracies in the data they had provided to the BBC.At last week's special meeting of the Scottish Police Authority, senior officers blamed a "clunky" ICT system and problems with the recording of incidents for inaccuracies in the data they had provided to the BBC.
Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer said analysis of the figures now suggested that only 18 of the searches had been contrary to force policy.Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer said analysis of the figures now suggested that only 18 of the searches had been contrary to force policy.
The Justice Sub-Committee can be watched live at BBC Scotland's Democracy Live website. Justice sub committee member and Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnnes put it to the chief constable that Police Scotland's response over the issue had been "incoherent".
'Very seriously'
She said it was "barely credible" that the police were now only talking about 18 consensual stop-searches rather than 356.
She asked: "What I am trying to understand is, is it incompetence or do you have a disregard for the authority of the Scottish Police Authority? Chief Constable, do you find it a nuisance to have to account for the force's actions to the SPA and to the parliament?"
Sir Stephen responded by saying that he "took very seriously" his duty to account to both the SPA and to the Scottish Parliament and said he had written to the SPA following last week's meeting to clarify some of his comments.
He added: "I don't see anything wrong with, if you make a mistake, acknowledging you made a mistake and apologising to the body you are accountable for that mistake. That is exactly what I did".