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A former Police Scotland officer has been convicted of a catalogue of sex crimes, including two counts of rape, over a 17-year period. Campbell Petrie, 50, was found guilty of nine charges involving physical and sexual abuse towards two women between 2006 and 2023 at the High Court in Glasgow. Petrie, who was a serving officer at the time of the offences, was initially arrested in 2009 following allegations made by one of the women but was released after five hours and remained in his police role. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c50m3k7mywwno

BBC Scotland today, have the above story on Campbell Petrie and include within it their report on Alan Greer from July and August this year and repeat this misleading claim:

He had passed vetting checks to join the force despite having two reports of criminal behaviour against women on his record.

What were these ‘reports?’

Greer made inappropriate phone calls to two women in 2002 and in 2005 with in the second case in London, a formal police caution by the Met.

What does ‘inappropriate’ mean to the legal system, to policing?

An accusation that a phone call was “inappropriate” is a low-to-moderate severity label, not a legal category. It sits well below terms like “harassing,” “obscene,” “threatening,” or “stalking.” Its real weight depends almost entirely on context, content, and who is making the claim.What “inappropriate” usually signalsPeople and organizations use the word when they want to flag discomfort or a boundary violation without committing to a stronger legal claim. Typical examples:

• An off-color joke or personal remark that landed poorly
• An unsolicited late-night or after-hours call from a colleague or supervisor
• Comments about appearance, dating, or personal life that felt unwelcome
• A single awkward or overly familiar conversation rather than a pattern

What had been know about Wayne Couzens BEFORE he murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021?

• 2004: Failed an interview/application to join Kent Police as a regular officer.
• 2006: Joined Kent Special Constabulary as a volunteer special constable (same uniform, kit and powers of arrest as a regular officer). Later promoted to section officer.
• 2008: Failed vetting for a regular Kent Police post, largely because of heavy personal debt and an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) from 2007. He was still allowed to stay on as a special.
• 2011: Joined the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (armed nuclear-site protection). Thames Valley Police, which did the vetting, recommended he should not be recruited because of the debt/IVA. That advice was ignored. He later received high-level clearance.
• 2018: Transferred to the Metropolitan Police. A Police National Database check was recorded as “no trace.” In fact there were earlier entries, including a 2013 missing-from-home report and a 2015 indecent-exposure link to his car. Those were missed. In 2019 he was authorised as a firearms officer after another incomplete check. The Met later told the inquiry that, even with that information, it would still have recruited him. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/29/police-could-and-should-have-stopped-him-key-points-wayne-couzens-report

Utterly different level of warning?

On 23 July 2026, BBC Scotland had:

A police officer who took his own life in May was a violent rapist who carried out a spate of sexual attacks and attempted murders of women over at least 14 years, the BBC can reveal.

PC Alan Greer’s first known victim was a woman he raped in her home in Glasgow in 2012 after she had called the police to report being the victim of a crime.

The woman reported the sex attack by Greer late last year, sparking one of Police Scotland’s biggest ever anti-corruption inquiries.

Note that last bit. Greer had no known previous as they say. Police Scotland had no file on him that would have alerted them to a problem. In sharp contrast, the Met had 10 warnings going back to 2008, on Couzens, and they ignored them all.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68418971

Wayne Couzens, a serving police officer in London, raped and murdered Sara Everard in 2023.

BBC Scotland even state – ‘Greer’s family and colleagues are understood to have been “oblivious” to his violent double life.‘

Yet, today BBC Scotland wonders:

A source close to the investigation told the BBC: “Some of his colleagues thought this was a callous move on behalf of the police, saying he was under criminal investigation when he’d only just died.

“But it’s clear they were all totally in the dark about this guy’s offending.

“Folk will be in a state of shock when they learn the full truth. I don’t think anyone really knows how bad it is yet.

“It feels a bit like this could be Police Scotland’s Wayne Couzens moment.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v0rq66q3no

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going

Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going

Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421