F1Criminal investigations
9A.Victims’ right to protection during criminal investigations
(1)
During a criminal investigation into an offence or alleged offence, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland must ensure that—
(a)
a relevant interview is conducted without undue delay after a complaint about the offence or alleged offence has been made to a constable,
(b)
the number of relevant interviews is kept to a minimum,
(c)
relevant interviews are carried out only where strictly necessary for the purposes of the criminal investigation,
(d)
during a relevant interview, the person who is or appears to be a victim in relation to the offence or alleged offence is permitted to be accompanied by the person’s chosen legal representative and a person of the person’s choice, unless a constable makes a reasoned decision to the contrary, and
(e)
medical examinations of the person who is or appears to be a victim in relation to the offence or alleged offence are kept to a minimum and are carried out only where strictly necessary for the purposes of the investigation.
(2)
In this section, a “relevant interview” means an interview of a person who is or appears to be the victim in relation to an offence or alleged offence conducted or arranged by a constable for the purposes of a criminal investigation into the offence or alleged offence.