It has been discovered that there is requirement in place to vet officers beyond their recruitment.
A review of the force's vetting procedures discovered that there is no requirement currently in place for vetting of rank and file officers and staff to be repeated beyond the checks on their initial recruitment.
The report states: "No check nor review of officers and staff employed by the legacy forces was carried out when the new organisation began and some have no vetting record." The watchdog flagged these historical cases to Police Scotland's force vetting manager and the anti-corruption unit in order that they can assess risk and whether clearance remains appropriate.
The watchdog says that such changes should be prioritised above the random review of recruitment vetting for 3-5 per cent of officers and staff, which Police Scotland has already announced.He said: "A thorough and effective vetting regime is vitally important to assess a person's integrity and it reassures the public appropriate checks have been carried out on those who are placed in a position of trust.
"Losing intelligence to terrorists or serious organised criminals is a threat which Police Scotland rightly takes seriously but exposing a vulnerable person to an individual who wishes to harm them is, to me, abhorrent and steps need to be taken to provide assurance that the protection of the vulnerable is prioritised."
Mr Speirs said: "The safeguarding of our values and standards has never been stronger and HMICS rightly highlights the high standards of our vetting.
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