SNP ministers will publish “long overdue” legislation to better investigate and stamp out police misconduct before Holyrood breaks for the summer recess.

The Police Complaints and Misconduct Handling Bill will be tabled at Holyrood before July, containing legislation to implement recommendations made by Dame Elish Angiolini in 2020.

The commitment comes after the outgoing chief constable of Police Scotland, Sir Iain Livingstone, admitted on Thursday that the force “is institutionally racist and discriminatory”.

Sir Iain added there is “no place” in Police Scotland for people who do harbour prejudices, and that the behaviour of colleagues who have been found to hold such views is “utterly condemned”.

A review group, set up two years ago, found instances of “poor behaviour being known and seen in plain sight with no action being taken” and that people were being “punished for raising issues or concerns”.

Statistics revealed in February show that 47 police officers in Scotland have resigned or retired during misconduct proceedings against them since 2019.

In the same timeframe, Police Scotland received 332 allegations of gross misconduct and 1,182 allegations of misconduct against officers.

The recommendations that could be contained in the new laws include gross misconduct proceedings and outcomes being held in public and the process to continue even after an officer leaves their job.

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The new laws could hand Scottish ministers the power to consult on and issue guidance in respect of conduct.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) for Scotland, which probes complaints, could also be handed more powers including having a legal authority to compel officers to appear for interview.

PIRC could become accountable to the Scottish Parliament for non-criminal matters, be given the powers to call in an investigation of a complaint and the ability to investigate practices or policies of Police Scotland.

A progress report published by the Scottish Government last week revealed 58 of the 111 recommendations from Dame Elish have now been implemented, but some of the calls require legislation at Holyrood to be actioned.

SNP Justice Secretary Angela Constance said that the 58 recommendations already implemented “brings greater transparency, fairness and accessibility to systems, policies and processes that underpin the police complaints and misconduct process”.

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She added: “These improvements are helping to make the police complaints system easier to navigate for members of the public, as well as increasing consistency, efficiency and swifter resolution for all those involved in complaints, investigations or misconduct.

“This is a significant milestone and provides a firm foundation on which to deliver legislative improvements in the shape of the Scottish Government’s Police Complaints and Misconduct Handling Bill which will be introduced before the summer.

“Legislation, however, can only go so far and this journey of improvement must be underpinned by cultural and behavioural change within our policing organisations.

“We have been assured by the good work undertaken so far by Police Scotland to drive this improvement forward.”

Scottish Conservative shadow minister for community safety, Russell Findlay, said: “The publication of this Bill is long overdue after more than two years of SNP dither and delay.

“The public and the vast majority of good police officers rightly expect a process that is transparent, speedy and prompt. Whistle-blowers should be protected – not targeted for speaking out.

“Many important measures can be taken. These include the need for investigations into serious wrongdoing continuing even if an officer leaves service, while the police watchdog must be granted meaningful powers.”

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A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Steady progress continues to be made to meet and discharge the recommendations made in Lady Elish’s review into complaints, investigations and misconduct in policing.

“This was a significant piece of work which underlined the range and depth of challenges for policing, those who scrutinise policing and the public we serve.

“We have delivered, alongside our partners, significant transformation and improvement to how complaints are handled, in turn bringing greater transparency, fairness and accessibility to systems, policies and processes.

“Progress also continues to be made against the remaining recommendations and Police Scotland is engaging with partners regarding recommendations that require legislation.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to introducing legislation that meets a commitment set out in the Programme for Government.”