Serial rapist officer passed vetting despite concerns about behaviour

The broadcaster reported that Alan Greer, who was found dead in May while under investigation, had been investigated twice before joining the police. One of the incidents resulted in Greer receiving a formal police caution.

According to the BBC’s Disclosure programme, Greer was investigated by Strathclyde Police in 2002 over allegations that he had made inappropriate phone calls to a woman in Glasgow. No action was taken after the case was reported to the procurator fiscal.

Three years later, the Metropolitan Police issued Greer with a formal police caution after he was again investigated for making inappropriate phone calls to a woman he knew in London. Despite this history, he was accepted into Strathclyde Police in 2009.

Police Scotland has now confirmed to the BBC that Strathclyde’s vetting unit was aware of the 2005 caution when Greer applied to join the force. It said a partial paper vetting record still exists and refers to the caution.

It remains unclear whether the earlier 2002 allegation was considered as part of the vetting process, although sources told the BBC that the information would have been discoverable on Greer’s record.

The findings raise further questions about whether opportunities were missed to prevent Greer’s subsequent offending.

Greer was arrested in April after a woman reported that she had been raped at her Glasgow home in 2012 after calling police to report that she had been the victim of a crime. He was released without charge pending further investigation before being found dead on 6 May.

Police Scotland has since identified 15 alleged victims, amid fears that the true number could be significantly higher.

The BBC previously reported that Greer had committed a series of attempted murders or serious sexual assaults and had raped a vulnerable woman hours after meeting her while on duty.

It also reported that he had contact with hundreds of sex workers during his police career and violently assaulted many of them.

Last month, Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff said there was “nothing to suggest that there have been any missed opportunities over the years” to identify Greer’s offending sooner.

Police Scotland subsequently clarified to the BBC that her comments had related to Greer’s offending during his police career and were not intended to address his vetting record.

Craig Naylor, chief inspector of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, told the BBC that although vetting arrangements in 2009 were different from those in place today, Greer’s previous history should have prevented him from joining the police. “My view is that he should never have got in at that point,” he said. Asked whether there had been missed opportunities to prevent Greer joining the police, Mr Naylor told the BBC: “Yes.”

Police Scotland said the recruitment and vetting process carried out before Greer joined Strathclyde Police would form part of an independent external review by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

A force spokesperson told the BBC that the investigation had not established any information during Greer’s police career which could have resulted in his criminal behaviour being identified at an earlier stage.

Police Scotland said the vetting landscape was now “markedly different” from that in 2009 and that, under current arrangements, Greer’s application would not have progressed.