Police officer with serial rape history slipped through vetting despite prior warnings

Alan Greer served as a police officer for nearly two decades, during which he committed a series of sexual assaults, including rapes, and maintained contact with hundreds of sex workers, also photographing female colleagues. Despite a 2002 investigation and a formal police caution in 2005 for making inappropriate phone calls to women, he passed Strathclyde Police's 2009 vetting and was appointed. Police Scotland asserts that today's stricter vetting regime would have prevented his entry, and the National Police Chiefs' Council is conducting an external review of the recruitment procedures.

Greer died by suicide in May after a police raid related to offenses dating from 2012. Earlier statements that no missed opportunities existed have been qualified, with officials acknowledging possible oversights. A 2023 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland review had already highlighted significant gaps in vetting, including many legacy staff not being re-vetted, prompting calls for annual integrity testing and routine re-vetting.