Love Police: Kidnapped in Scotland

Dear Mr Veitch,

I refer to your email dated 19 November 2010 and can confirm that Lothian and Borders Police have received your complaint posted on our website.

Having considered the issues you raise in your email, may I take this opportunity to go over the incident and explain the Forces position in this matter.

At 1414 hours on 26 August 2010, the Force received a telephone call from Jenners plc, Princes Street, Edinburgh, making a complaint that a male with a loud hailer had entered the store at the cosmetics Dept and had been insulting and abusive to staff and members of the public who were clearly alarmed at the male's behaviour. Around 1445 hours the same day, officers located you at the west end of Princes Street, Edinburgh. Complaints of your behaviour outside a branch of Boots the Chemist was also received by officers on foot patrol from members of the public.

At 1500 hours, after confirming you were the person responsible for the disturbance at Jenners, you were lawfully detained by officers and taken to St. Leonard's Police Station for process and to allow further inquiry to be made into the incident. Being handcuffed at the time of arrest or detention is normal procedure and assists in transporting detained and arrested persons to a police station. On your arrival at St Leonard's Police Station you were processed on the Force's Custody Recording System. After taking you to St. Leonard's, the officers returned to Jenners and Boots and noted statements from staff, confirming the alarm you had caused.

Around 1805 hours you were seen by Edward Wilson of Wilson McLeod solicitors and then around 1815 hours were interviewed by the enquiry officers. The Custody record shows you were formally arrested at 1840 hours (3 hours 40 minutes after being detained) and once address confirmation and other necessary procedures were completed, you were released at 2152 hours, on undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 29 September 2010. The terms of your bail at the time of your release were appropriate to the offence you had been charged with. On the evidence available to the officers provided by the witnesses, there was sufficient evidence to charge you with the Breach of the Peace liabled.

I am informed that the Procurator Fiscal later took the decision not to proceed the case to court. Any such decision is a matter for the Procurator Fiscal service alone, the Police in Scotland have no lucus in any decisions made in that regard. I also appreciate that during your interview with the officers you clearly stated that it was not your intention to cause alarm or insult to any individual, nevertheless, it was individual members of the public's perception to the contrary that led to the events that followed.

I hope I have been able to clarify why the officers took the action they did and that this has been of assistance to you. If you wish to discuss this further or raise other matters please contact me, or the Force Professional Standards Dept. through the details shown below.

Your sincerely

Sgt Ian X

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