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| Police lost 20,000 stop-search records after 'wrong button pressed' | Police lost 20,000 stop-search records after 'wrong button pressed' |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Police Scotland has admitted it lost 20,000 stop and search records because "someone pressed the wrong button". | |
| The admission came as senior officers appeared before a Holyrood committee. | The admission came as senior officers appeared before a Holyrood committee. |
| Among them was Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, who said he had apologised for giving incorrect information to the police watchdog over stop and search statistics. | Among them was Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, who said he had apologised for giving incorrect information to the police watchdog over stop and search statistics. |
| It follows controversy over police carrying out "consensual" searches of children. | It follows controversy over police carrying out "consensual" searches of children. |
| Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson told MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's justice sub committee that a total of 20,086 stop and search records had been lost because a "computer programmer pressed the wrong button between May and July last year". | Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson told MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's justice sub committee that a total of 20,086 stop and search records had been lost because a "computer programmer pressed the wrong button between May and July last year". |
| 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. | 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 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." | "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 MSPs on the 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). | Sir Stephen had earlier told MSPs on the 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. | 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 committee came days after he admitted to the police watchdog that statistics his force released to BBC Scotland on stop-and-search were "not 100% accurate" and were "not fit for public consumption". | Sir Stephen's appearance before the committee came days after he admitted to the police watchdog that statistics his force released to BBC Scotland 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 later contradicted this claim, and showed that the information release by the police was voluntary. | Emails between the commissioner and the police later 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. |
| 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. |
| They said analysis of the figures now suggested that only 18 of the searches had been contrary to force policy. | They said analysis of the figures now suggested that only 18 of the searches had been contrary to force policy. |
| 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". | 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' | 'Very seriously' |
| She said it was "barely credible" that the police were now only talking about 18 consensual stop-searches rather than 356. | 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?" | 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. | 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." | |
| Sir Stephen said stop and search was a "complicated matter" and that there were some "training issues" with officers which needed to be addressed. | Sir Stephen said stop and search was a "complicated matter" and that there were some "training issues" with officers which needed to be addressed. |
| But he said confidence levels in the police remained "high, in the 80s" and that there had not been a drop as a result of the stop-search controversy. | But he said confidence levels in the police remained "high, in the 80s" and that there had not been a drop as a result of the stop-search controversy. |
| The chief constable added: "Of course we don't want the sort of headlines we've had but part of the reason for coming here today is to try and address those headlines and try and set the record straight. | The chief constable added: "Of course we don't want the sort of headlines we've had but part of the reason for coming here today is to try and address those headlines and try and set the record straight. |
| "And where we made a mistake - and I've already said it once - we acknowledged that I made a mistake in the language that I used. I shouldn't have used that language." | "And where we made a mistake - and I've already said it once - we acknowledged that I made a mistake in the language that I used. I shouldn't have used that language." |
| He also said there had been a 32% drop in the volume of stop of searches so far this year compared to the first year of Police Scotland. | He also said there had been a 32% drop in the volume of stop of searches so far this year compared to the first year of Police Scotland. |
| But he accepted there have been huge communication problems between Police Scotland, its officers and the public. | |
| Repeated assurances | |
| Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told the committee that officers were still under the impression that they must fulfil a target for searching members of the public, despite repeated assurances to the contrary by Sir Stephen. | Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told the committee that officers were still under the impression that they must fulfil a target for searching members of the public, despite repeated assurances to the contrary by Sir Stephen. |
| Police Scotland has generated controversy since its inception on 1 April 2013, beginning with a public power struggle between Sir Stephen and his civilian watchdog, questions over the force's accountability, misunderstandings and inaccurate figures. | Police Scotland has generated controversy since its inception on 1 April 2013, beginning with a public power struggle between Sir Stephen and his civilian watchdog, questions over the force's accountability, misunderstandings and inaccurate figures. |
| There has also been disquiet among some sections of society over armed police, stop and search and the closure of police offices and control rooms. | There has also been disquiet among some sections of society over armed police, stop and search and the closure of police offices and control rooms. |