FAMILY of a Sierra Leonean Sheku Bayoh who died while under arrest have made an emotional call for a review over how police officers are scrutinised in Scotland after it emerged it has taken more than a month to give statements to independent investigators.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), set up two years ago to investigate serious wrongdoings in what was then the new single police force, has admitted that it has very limited powers to compel officers to submit to interview as witnesses.

Mr Bayoh, a 31-year-old gas engineer, who has lived in Fife for 14 years, died of suspected asphyxia as officers restrained him on a pavement in Hayfield Road, Kirkcaldy on May 3.

It is estimated that nine officers were involved in the incident and is said that pepper and pava spray, handcuffs, leg restraints and batons were used to subdue the father-of-two

PIRC has said they made a number of failed attempts to secure statements with officers who dealt with Mr Bayoh before they were finally interviewed over the past few days and over a month after what the family believe is a suspicious death.

The family, including his mother Aminita, 65, and three older sisters Kadi Johnson, 37, Adama Jalloh, 35, and Kosna Bayoh, 40, decided to speak for the first time of the "cover up" ordeal they have faced by the Scottish investigation system as they prepared to finally lay the man friends knew as Shek to rest today at Dysart Muslim Cemetery at 2.50pm.

Before that hundreds of people including family, friends, the community and supporters of their Justice campaign are expected to stop at Kirkcaldy Police Station for a two minute silence during a procession from Hayfield Road to the Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre.

Mr Bayoh's brother-in-law Ade Johnson, 38, who has worked as a community development officer at the local rights charity, Fairness Race Awareness and Equality Fife made an impassioned appeal for change in Scotland saying it was "an issue about a rogue element within the police".

He was concerned that PIRC do not have the same powers as its counterpart south of the border, the Independent Police Complaints Commission which has had powers to compel serving police officers to attend witness interviews.

"PIRC is supposed to do the same work as IPCC so why don't they have the same powers. We need to look at that not just for us, but for the whole of Scotland.

"In Scotland we have been really complacent, we believe that things like this don't happen in Scotland. But things like what has happened, is a wake up call for us.

"Are we going to say, 'not in my name, not under a Scottish flag', are we going to come together and say, look, we have to put a stop to it as citizens and members of Scotland.

"Shek loved the community and the community loved Shek. He was proud of Scotland, he goes to London, he preaches about Scotland.

"That's the Scotland we want to remember, we don't want to remember the Scotland of the Third of May and what happened after.

"But there are still some small elements in the community that we need to weed out so that we can keep the Scottish flag flying."

He recalled the Tottenham riots of 2011, sparked by the death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, shot by officers, and was found by an inquest jury in 2014, to be lawfully killed by police.

"We have seen what happened before, the issue of the Duggan family in London in Tottenham, people exploded and they went out violently. And after that, the focus of the actual event that caused people to go out in the street was wiped out and everything was focussed on, thugs, gangs, thieves. We don't want that to happen now or we will lose the quest for answers.

"We called a first meeting, there was a massive rage, they want to go out and demonstrate, but we have to look at getting the answers first.

"We have never said it's racism, you know why? Because 80% of Shek's friends are white. It is not an issue about the community. It is an issue about a rogue element within the police.

"The thing is if the police have nothing to hide, you would come out and say what happened.

"We are grieving, we are trying to find out the truth. We have family members constantly asking us what happened, we can't give an answer because they are not giving us the answer.

"It is a very horrible experience. We are angry but at the same time we have to be smart. We need to make sure we get the information we need."

The whole family gathered to tell of their upset by the different stories that were provided by police officers to them about what happened.

The family say they were first told at 3pm that officers were hunting two men in connection with his death and it was claimed his body had been found by a member of the public but there was no mention of officers being involved till another visit an hour and a half later.

Mr Johnson said: "If this involved someone in any other walk of life they would not wait for one month to speak to their boss.

"If it was Joe Bloggs out there involved they would be in jail while the investigation is happening.

"When you have death in custody, they should be suspended without prejudice so that the investigation can go on.

"We are not saying they are guilty, just move out the way so the investigation can go on, but no, these people are allowed to go back to the station, time to talk to each other."

Mr Johnson's wife, Mr Bayoh's elder sister, who is a staff nurse, said: "We find this all ridiculous really. We were thinking that in any normal circumstances something like this happens, people are investigated, people are suspended, but that has never happened.

"When something like this happens PIRC should jump in right away, but it didn't work that way.

"All we want is the truth. We want to know what exactly happened and we want justice.

"We trust in the police, they are there to look after us, they are there to protect us, but if you are telling us different stories, I call that lies.

"They have looked at us in the face and they have lied to us, which really hurts, and upsets us.

"It really is a big disgrace. It sounds like a cover up."

Mr Bayoh's mother who is in Kirkcaldy for the funeral summed her feelings about the loss of her youngest saying: "I won't ever forget this. He was my only boy.

"The police know what has happened.

"Everyone is angry, his friends, his relations they are all not happy. Almost a month and nobody has talked the truth."

Meanwhile in Hayfield Road, dozens of floral tributes surround a tree, close to where Mr Bayoh died.

Underneath a picture of Mr Bayoh and his children is a t-shirt from the local Templehall Gym where he worked out, signed by members saying simply: "RIP. Veritas and Aequitas.

"Truth and Justice."

There are also calls for a general review of how police are investigated.