Commissioner Bruce Adamson has agreed to be a member of Police Scotland’s independent advisory group. The group was set up to scrutinise the police’s use of their new emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.  

The Group, which sat for the first time on Thursday 16 April, is meeting twice a week, is chaired by leading human rights lawyer John Scott QC, and is made up of legal, police and human rights experts from national human rights institutions, academia, civil society and the police scrutiny bodies.

Commissioner Bruce Adamson said:

“I commend Police Scotland for recognising the potential human rights implications of these new powers and the need for independent scrutiny to ensure they are used lawfully and proportionately. It is at times of crisis that respect for human rights is most important and this group provides an opportunity to support the police in ensuring the rights of children and young people are prioritised and safeguarded.  

“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child places particular obligations on the police in terms of how children and young people are treated, and these obligations remain in place under Scotland’s emergency powers. The impact these powers have on children as a group is something I will be paying special attention to. Police officers have an important role to play in protecting public health. The best way to do that, and to maintain public confidence, consent and compliance, is through a human rights-based approach to policing.”