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There have been 120-plus deaths in custody in the past five years, each of which will have required an FAI, which takes up a huge amount of resource, which is under greater pressure than ever before. Has resource been a factor in any of the decisions not to conduct a fatal accident inquiry?

From speaking with the families of police officers who have died from suicide and with officers who have attempted suicide, I know that they are concerned that there is a lack of sincerity from Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority about accurately recording those cases and seeking answers about why they have occurred. What would you say in response to them? I put that to Fiona McQueen.

In a letter dated 1 June 2022, Martyn Evans of the SPA said that, following a spate of police officer suicides, the SPA

“explored the broader issue”

of

“suicides with Police Scotland”

and, based on what Police Scotland told the SPA,

“there was nothing to suggest that any of the recent cases were caused directly by the pressure of work.”

Does Police Scotland stand by that claim?

What was that number?

In May last year, when Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins was asked how many police officers had died from suicide, he said that he would be

“happy to provide that to the committee.”—[Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 18 May 2022; c 1.]

That information has not been forthcoming. ACC Ritchie, you said that there were approximately four deaths per year by suicide. Where does that data come from?

Right. Do you have a number?

It might also be useful to know whether there is data available on recent years.

One thing that the commission seeks to be able to do is release prisoners early as part of the immunity and reconciliation process. How many troubles-related prisoners are there in Scotland just now?

So, there is full agreement with her.

When was the last troubles-related police investigation in Scotland?

I imagine that they are pretty rare, if there have been any at all in recent years. Could we perhaps come back to that?