A fresh vetting exercise covering about 8,000 police officers and staff in Scotland is set to scrutinise the force’s ranks following the conviction of a former sergeant jailed for raping two women, amid revelations that 45 serving officers are suspended over alleged violence against women and girls.
Campbell Petrie, who retired from Police Scotland in 2025, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of eight offences involving sexual and physical abuse against two women in Glasgow between 2006 and 2022.
The BBC reported that the High Court in Glasgow convicted Petrie in September of eight charges, including four counts of rape. He had denied the allegations.
The sentencing has renewed scrutiny of how police authorities identify and address misconduct within their ranks, particularly as Petrie had first been arrested in 2009 following an allegation of threatening behaviour against him. He was detained for five hours but no further action was taken at the time because of insufficient evidence.
The case resurfaced in 2023 when another woman accused him of rape, triggering an investigation by specialist sexual crime officers. Petrie was arrested, charged and suspended in December that year before retiring from the force two years later.
Sentencing him, Judge Alistair Watson said the punishment reflected the seriousness and persistence of the crimes, noting the lasting psychological damage suffered by the victims.
The judge also ordered Petrie to remain on the sex offenders register and imposed indefinite non-harassment orders barring him from contacting the women or approaching locations he believes they may be, within a distance of 100 metres.
He warned that Petrie posed a risk of significant harm to the public, particularly women he might encounter in future.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs described the offences as severely abusive, exploitative and violent, while praising the courage of the victims and the officers who investigated the case.
He said the investigation demonstrated that reports of such crimes would be acted upon regardless of the identity of the accused.
However, Petrie’s conviction comes amid a troubling series of cases involving serving and former Scottish police officers.
A day before his sentencing, serving officer John Williamson was found guilty of raping a teenage girl and a woman in Shetland. He is due to be sentenced in December.
In July, former constable Cameron Ross received a 10-year prison sentence for raping two women and abusing a third.
Another former officer, Alan Greer, was subsequently established by an investigation to have been a violent serial sex offender with at least 15 victims. He died by suicide days after police raided his home in May as part of an investigation into offences dating back to 2012.
The developments have placed police vetting and internal accountability under renewed scrutiny, especially following the 2023 nationwide review of police personnel records prompted by the crimes of former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, who abducted and murdered Sarah Everard, and serial rapist David Carrick.
Police Scotland said that the earlier data review had not uncovered previously unknown information about Petrie.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell disclosed earlier this month that 45 serving officers were suspended over allegations of violence against women and girls, adding to concerns about how effectively misconduct risks are detected and addressed.
Under new regulations introduced this year, about 8,000 officers and police staff are to undergo renewed vetting, with priority given to long-serving personnel and those working closely with vulnerable people.
The exercise will test the force’s ability to identify potential risks within its workforce as it faces growing pressure to demonstrate that those entrusted with public protection are themselves subject to effective scrutiny.
