Pat Campbell: who is senior Police Scotland officer, and why has he been suspended?

A senior Police Scotland officer has been suspended from duty following a “criminal investigation”.

The officer, understood to be Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Cambell, was suspended from Wednesday (1 December), according to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

The matter is now being investigated by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), under direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

In a statement, the SPA said: “The Scottish Police Authority has suspended a senior officer from Police Scotland duties.

“The decision was taken after a criminal allegation was brought to the authority’s attention.

“The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is investigating this allegation under direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

“The suspension is effective from Wednesday 1 December and will be reviewed regularly, or if there is a change in circumstances relevant to the suspension.”

Who is Pat Campbell?

Mr Campbell was responsible for leading the force’s effort to tackle terrorism and organised crime.

His role, which he took up a year ago, is executive lead for organised crime, counter-terrorism and intelligence, which also covers border policing, cyber crime and digital forensics.

He is also responsible for cyber capabilities, cyber strategy and technical surveillance.

Mr Campbell joined the Strathclyde Police force in 1995 before Scotland’s eight forces merged in 2013 to form Police Scotland.

He was a detective superintendent when the merger took place, working in public protection and divisional crime in Edinburgh.

He was promoted to detective chief superintendent in August 2018 and appointed strategic lead for specialist crime support.

Why has he been suspended?

Mr Campbell has been suspended from duty following a “criminal investigation”.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said it has instructed the PIRC to “investigate an allegation of potential criminality involving a senior officer of Police Scotland.”

A senior officer can be suspended if an allegation, if proven, would be sufficiently serious to amount to misconduct, or if the nature of the allegation means suspension is in the public interest.

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “I can confirm that a senior officer from Police Scotland has been suspended by the Scottish Police Authority.

“This is in connection with a criminal investigation being carried out by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

“The chief constable has reviewed Police Scotland’s command structure to ensure the organisation continues to meet operational demand.”

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