Part of First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 26 September 2024.
Douglas Ross
Conservative
I know the situation very well. My question is not about the live police investigation but about the comments this week of a family who are still grieving their loss in horrific circumstances. The response from Police Scotland, following the decision by the Lord Advocate, clearly falls below any standard that we should expect—particularly from the chief constable of Police Scotland.
I hope that the First Minister will at least reflect on that language—“insulting” and “callous”. The chief constable is being described by a grieving family as “callous”. I hope that the First Minister will reflect on that and seek to address what could happen.
Alistair Wilson’s case has been unsolved for two decades. That period has spanned the tenures of several chief constables and several Government ministers. The Wilson family have raised concerns about the current chief constable’s handling of the case. However, the Scottish Government is not powerless in the situation; indeed, the First Minister has previously spoken about on-going police investigations in his own Constituency. Has he or his justice secretary spoken to the family of Alistair Wilson about their significant concerns? If so, what is being done to address those?
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