Constable Scott McCulloch, a Livingston-based police officer, has been named Police Officer of the Year for his work tackling domestic abuse through education. He developed and delivered a lesson pack to senior pupils across West Lothian, reaching more than 4,000 students in the past year. The programme focuses on prevention and education, challenging behaviours within relationships to encourage healthy relationships, especially among young men.
Council Recognition and Award
Councillors congratulated PC McCulloch at a meeting of the Public and Community Safety PDSP. Chair of the Public and Community Safety Committee, Councillor Craig Meek, said: “Well done to PC McCulloch in receiving this award. Any form of domestic abuse is not acceptable and it is great to see the work that the police and partners are doing.” Livingston south Councillor Maria MacAulay added: “Pass on my congratulations to PC McCulloch. It’s an incredible achievement. It is making a difference.”
Programme Development and Impact
PC McCulloch developed the programme after liaising with lead investigators in the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit to ensure the delivery covered important aspects of investigations. The lessons challenge relationship behaviours and aim to help young people understand what is acceptable within a relationship. According to a police report to the Public and Community Safety PDSP, domestic crimes reported to police increased by 1.7%, with over 60% not resulting in a recorded crime. The report stated: “This upward trend supports the assumption of increased confidence in seeking support and highlights the impact of the proactive engagement and prevention work.”
Improved Policing Approach
West Lothian police have implemented a new approach to domestic incidents, leading to better collaboration between policing teams and partner organisations. This has resulted in higher tariff offenders being remanded and a 12.9% increase in the detection rate. The report noted a 68.6% increase in group 2 offences, which include communicating indecently, sexual exposure, voyeurism, and sexual coercion, with younger victims more likely to report these crimes.
National Expansion
Announcing the award, Police Scotland said: “Livingston-based Scott was recognised for his genuine commitment and support for those experiencing domestic abuse. Scott developed a powerful domestic abuse lesson-pack that focuses on prevention and education which he has personally delivered to more than 4,000 S4 to S6 pupils in West Lothian. Building on this success, he is now training officers in neighbouring divisions to allow them to bring this initiative to other parts of Scotland.”
