Police Scotland has been criticised in a report following the deaths of two people who died in a car crash, after it took officers three days to locate them.
A review has found that there was a shortage of staff at the call handling centre that received a reported sighting of the crashed car in which Lamara Bell and John Yuill were found.
Mr Yuill was found dead but 25 year-old Ms Bell was still alive when she was discovered in the wreckage on the M9 near Falkirk. She died later in hospital.
A member of the public had reported a sighting of the vehicle to the Bilston Glen call handling centre outside Edinburgh.
The report, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (Scotland) states that there were insufficient staff available in the Bilston Glen centre when work transferred from Stirling and Glenrothes in early 2015. This resulted in low levels of performance.
The report calls the management of centralising police call handling "inadequate".
The HMCIS review found that some call handlers were under pressure to end calls quickly and that calls were being graded depending on resources available.
It also found that some staff were noting information on scribble pads rather than feeding it into the computer system.
The "stability" of an interim computer system was "in question" and the report recommended the procurement of new technology.
The HMCIS report, which makes 30 recommendations, acknowledges that improvements have been made in areas such as training and staffing levels, although staff "challenges still remain" in the North of Scotland.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Derek Penman said: "The oversight of this project has been inadequate with key risks and other issues not being identified or highlighted to senior managers.
"There was an initial focus on meeting deadlines and increased productivity rather than a well-managed project with a focus on customer service, good staff relations and thorough process design."
The report is one of two which were prompted by the death of Ms Bell and 28 year-old Mr Yuill in July this year.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) is conducting a separate review into the circumstances of the incident.
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: "We co-operated fully with the HMICS review and will now be implementing the recommendations through a detailed and comprehensive action plan, scrutinised by the Scottish Police Authority."
Source: Pm News
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