Misogynist attitudes 'firmly embedded' in Police Scotland

Its findings, now seen by The Herald, paint a picture of a workplace where women are routinely undermined, sidelined and, in some cases, preyed upon by colleagues.

The report claims that Police Scotland is “an overwhelmingly male dominated environment” with “sexist and misogynist attitudes firmly embedded in its culture”.

READ MORE

• Sexism and misogyny in Police Scotland: Review exposes discrimination
• 'Culture of misogyny' in Police Scotland sex crime unit
• Justice Secretary concerns over fall in women joining Police Scotland

The IRG was set up in 2021 in response to Lady Elish Angiolini's review into police complaints handling, which called for a wider, independent examination of equality matters within the force.

It also followed collapsing public confidence in policing after the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, and after former firearms officer Rhona Malone won her case against Police Scotland for sex discrimination.

The IRG eventually produced two interim reports and a final report.

The first interim report, published in May 2023, recorded “scepticism and even outright fear” among staff about raising concerns and documented poor behaviour “in plain sight”.

That prompted then Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone to make his unprecedented admission that the force was institutionally racist, sexist and discriminatory.

The final report was considered by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) board on August 22, 2024, but was not included in the published meeting papers.

Instead, it was quietly placed on Police Scotland’s “Policing Together” webpage, where it attracted little attention until covered by The Herald.

That report referred to a separate “deep dive” on violence against women, sexism and misogyny. However, the deep dive was never published.

It was only after policy collective Murray Blackburn Mackenzie requested the document under FOI earlier this year that it was finally disclosed.

The report states that, after “considerable reading and discussions with police officers and staff,” the IRG found “evidence of sexism, misogyny and [violence against women] within Police Scotland, both at the institutional and individual level”.

While some participants said they had “seen progress in Police Scotland’s culture and attitudes towards women over the years,” the authors said “sexist and misogynist attitudes can still be felt, both explicitly and implicitly”.

The impact was evident in the “emotion and distress expressed during our meetings” with women officers and staff.

The review describes a “toxic” culture resembling a “boys’ club.” Inappropriate jokes and sexualised comments were said to be widespread, often made by senior male officers about younger female colleagues.

“Victim-blaming language and collusion with perpetrators of sexist/misogynist acts often led women to reconsider clothing, makeup and hairstyle choices to avoid ‘provoking’ such comments, and discouraged them from raising concerns about male colleagues’ behaviour,” the report said.

Women told the IRG that predatory behaviour by senior men was a persistent feature of life in the service.

Younger and junior officers were described as especially vulnerable.

“We are especially alarmed at reports of younger/newer female officers being ‘preyed on’ by more senior male officers, who are discouraged from raising complaints for fear of being labelled a ‘troublemaker’ and effectively sabotaging their own careers,” the authors wrote.

READ MORE

• Police officer cleared of hit and run charges after unmarked vehicle incident
• Busy Edinburgh city centre street shut after police respond to injured person call
• Pervert pensioner found guilty of groping grandmother at her home

The review also recorded “frequent” accounts of internalised misogyny, with hostility from older or senior female officers towards younger women.

Women described being asked to make tea or take minutes at meetings. Those working part-time or with children were seen as less committed, while women who prioritised career progression were branded “ruthless careerists”.

These labels were not applied to men.

Junior male officers were said to disregard instructions from senior female colleagues, preferring to seek confirmation from men.

The toxic culture was not just an internal matter. Some officers explicitly linked internal sexism to failures in serving the public.

“Many women responded that police officers treat the public considerably better than they treat each other,” the report states.

“This is owed to the perceived ‘culture of impunity’ within the organisation – when officers feel that there is no point complaining against each other, they treat each other much worse than they treat the public.

“Others explicitly linked Police Scotland’s internal culture with how crimes are responded to in the community. Some went as far as to state that some units and divisions actively stalled investigations of gendered crime or did not act in accordance to what was expected because of the pervasiveness of sexist and misogynist attitudes they collectively held.”

The review noted “steadfast commitment to ending sex discrimination, misogyny and violence against women and girls” at senior levels. But it warned:

“This commitment appears to wane the further we explore the realities of being a lower-ranking officer, with repeated accounts of everyday sexism that go unchallenged by middle managers.”

Junior officers were left feeling “unsupported, invisible and despondent.”

The review found that systems for reporting sexism and abuse were ineffective, inconsistent and, in some cases, actively hostile.

Complaints processes were described as offering “little to no support from senior management or corporate services.”

Professional Standards was criticised for failing to provide a clear whistleblowing route. Cases were frequently returned to local divisions, where little or no action was taken.

The report noted repeated examples of retaliatory use of the complaints process. Female officers who complained of sexist behaviour often faced counter-complaints by the men they had accused, consuming time and resources and leaving them further isolated.

The Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, was described by women as “unhelpful at best and obstructive at worst” when it came to matters of sexism, misogyny and violence against women.

The review said perpetrators of violence against women inside the force “are not treated as potential risks to the organisation, even following repeated complaints and concerns being raised by their colleagues, or reports to the Professional Standards Department.”

It contrasted the treatment of public complaints with internal cases. While PSD took action when members of the public complained, women reported that officers “informally known as both harbouring views and behaving in ways that were sexist and misogynistic” continued to work and even secured promotions.

The authors warned this was “extremely alarming,” stressing that violence against women is part of a continuum.

“Excusing sexual jokes, banter or comments gives licence to more serious abuse such as groping, stalking, harassment, culminating in sexual coercion, sexual assault, rape and murder.”

The report also noted “ongoing resistance” to the Chief Constable’s acknowledgment of institutional discrimination, with some officers still denying sexism and misogyny were issues.

When the report was disclosed under FOI, Police Scotland said it was already “outdated,” despite being only 15 months old. The force insisted work was “ongoing to address the issues outlined within.”

Campaigners said withholding the review undermined the credibility of the force’s commitments to equality.

Dr Kath Murray, from Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said: “Since the Angiolini review, Police Scotland has made various commitments to tackle sexism and misogyny. But it withheld this critical report, marked ‘Named recipients only.’ It only came to light via FOI laws.

“The findings also undermine Police Scotland’s Interim Transgender Searching policy, which assumes female officers can freely decline search requests from male managers – something the review suggests is unrealistic.

“Given the gravity of the findings, we believe the Criminal Justice Committee should call on the Chief Constable to address both the substance of the report and its handling, which raises serious questions about integrity and transparency.”

In 2022, former firearms officer Rhona Malone was awarded £948,000 after taking the force to an employment tribunal for sexism.

In her case, the tribunal accepted evidence that there was an “absolute boys’ club” culture within the armed response vehicle team.

Her solicitor, Margaret Gribbon, told The Herald the IRG report also raised questions for the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

Although the SPA board considered the IRG’s final report in August 2024, the deep dive was never tabled or published alongside it.

She said: “I met with the authors of this report, as did my police officer clients, who shared deeply personal accounts of sexism and misogyny in Police Scotland.

“If this report has not been published, that is deeply concerning. It suggests a lack of transparency on the part of Police Scotland and raises serious questions about the Scottish Police Authority’s governance role in holding Police Scotland to account.”

Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “This stark report lays bare serious problems that must be addressed if we are to give women confidence that joining the police is a safe and positive career.

“Police Scotland must work hard to change this and play their part in tackling misogyny in our society.

“Women must be able to work in Police Scotland without fear of discrimination or harassment.

“Police Scotland must continue working to root out sexism and ensure it always upholds the high standards the public expects.”

Scottish Conservative shadow minister for victims and community safety Sharon Dowey MSP said: “The public will be deeply concerned about the findings of this report and rightly question why it has been kept under wraps for so long.

“Female officers, staff and victims who report inappropriate behaviour must be treated with respect, not dismissed as troublemakers.

“The SNP’s broken police complaints system has failed victims for far too long, as well as the majority of good police officers – this must urgently change.

“It is vital that SNP ministers guarantee that their new laws will be fit for purpose and deal with any allegations in an efficient and proper manner, to ensure trust in the force is upheld.”

A spokesperson for the SPA said: “There is absolutely no place for sexism or any form of discrimination in policing. The Scottish Police Authority is committed to supporting and holding Police Scotland to account in building a service that is inclusive, respectful and free from bias.

"The Authority’s Policing Together oversight group plays a key role in scrutinising progress and driving meaningful change towards an anti-discriminatory culture where every individual is valued.”

Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said: "Through our Policing Together programme, we are taking action to deliver meaningful cultural change in the Service and across society, including to tackle sexism and misogyny.

"As part of this work, an Independent Review Group undertook a review of Police Scotland and, last August, we published the IRG's closure report, which provided an overview of their deep dive into sexism and misogyny.
"There is no quick fix to changing deeply ingrained, socially accepted behaviours.

"We're grateful to the IRG for their insight and support to inform our ongoing work to tackle sexism and misogyny which requires long term focus, leadership, and commitment at all levels of Police Scotland."