A police officer later exposed as a violent serial rapist was allowed to join the force despite previous reports of criminal behaviour towards women.
Alan Greer joined Strathclyde Police in 2009, where vetting staff were aware of a formal police caution he had received four years earlier for making inappropriate telephone calls to a woman in London.
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Greer had also been investigated by Strathclyde Police in 2002 over similar behaviour towards a woman in Glasgow – a case that was reported to prosecutors, but resulted in no further action.
Police Scotland has confirmed that its vetting unit knew about Greer’s 2005 caution when he applied to become an officer.
A surviving paper vetting record refers to the caution, although it remains unclear whether the earlier 2002 investigation was considered during the recruitment process.
A Strathclyde Police handbook from 2006 stated that people with cautions or convictions that could raise questions about their integrity should not be recruited.
Craig Naylor, chief inspector of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, said that although vetting standards were less stringent in 2009, Greer’s history should nevertheless have prevented him from joining.
“My view is that he should never have got in,” Mr Naylor told the BBC, adding that he was surprised nothing emerged to prevent Greer’s offending.
Asked whether his recruitment represented a missed opportunity, he replied: “Yes.”
Greer served for almost 17 years before taking his own life in May, days after police raided his home as part of an investigation into offences dating back to 2012.
The investigation has since linked him to a series of serious sexual offences, including attempted murders and sexual assaults.
Among his alleged victims was a vulnerable woman whom he raped only hours after meeting her while on duty.
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Police Scotland has so far identified 15 victims, and believes there may be more.
Greer is also understood to have had contact with hundreds of sex workers during his career, with many allegedly subjected to violence.
The force previously said there was no evidence of “missed opportunities” to identify Greer’s offending sooner.
It has since clarified that those comments related to his conduct during his police career, rather than the circumstances surrounding his original recruitment.
Police Scotland said Greer’s recruitment and vetting process would be examined as part of an independent external review led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
The force also confirmed that a 2023 review of its vetting system had identified significant weaknesses, including thousands of legacy officers and staff who had not been re-vetted following the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.
An intelligence review, known as a “historic data wash”, was subsequently carried out to identify allegations or intelligence requiring further investigation – which found nothing significant relating to Greer.
Police Scotland said its current vetting arrangements are “markedly different” from those in place in 2009, and that Greer’s application would not have progressed under today’s system.
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