Police destroyed car after failing to tell owner it could be collected after crash

A woman’s car was destroyed by the police after they forgot to tell her it was ready to be collected after a crash.

The woman’s vehicle was seized following a collision with a police car.

She submitted a complaint to the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner over the incident, stating that she was never informed that it was available to be collected.

Police Scotland rejected the complaint, but it was upheld by the watchdog, which found that the force did not deal with the complaint to a reasonable standard.

Investigators said Police Scotland had not carried out sufficient enquiries and ordered the force to re-examine the case.

They recommended that further enquiries be made and that a new, well-reasoned response be issued to the woman, clearly stating whether the complaint is upheld or not.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the Complaint Handling Review. The recommendations are under review and will be fully responded to.”