Recommendation 39

Several witnesses have told us that establishing a new hotline may not be necessary, as there are other existing ways to raise concerns. For example, Assistant Chief Constable Spiers told us that already “there are a range of ways in which we encourage family, friends and clubs to make contact with us [the police]”.116 As noted by Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice for the Scottish Government, these ways include “on the ground, if local community police officers are around, but also online … Above that, people know the contact number for the police in Scotland [101]”.117 Therefore, Superintendent Duncan stated, while there is “definite merit in trying to encourage reporting… There are probably other opportunities, such as advertising how you make direct contact with the police”118 using existing helplines.