The family of missing Fife man Allan Bryant are to call on the Scottish Justice Secretary to replace those investigating his disappearance with a new team, claiming years of failures by Police Scotland.
Allan Bryant Senior is to present a petition signed by over 10,000 members of the public to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf calling for a re-think on how the search for his son is to be conducted.
Mr Bryant says he no longer has faith in those looking for his son and wants a new team to take over all aspects of the investigation.
Allan Bryant, 23-years old at the time, has not been seen since leaving Styx nightclub close to his home in Glenrothes in early hours of November 3, 2013.
Despite one of the biggest missing person searches ever undertaken by Police Scotland, no trace has ever been found as to the man’s whereabouts.
Mr Bryant Snr has been heavily critical of the police’s handling of the case with his complaint regarding, what he has since called a “critical and catastrophic delay” in releasing the CCTV footage, upheld by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) in 2017.
Mr Bryant now says he has the public’s backing in his call for a new team of investigators to be appointed and will now pursue that with the Scottish Government.
“The police’s handling of my son’s case has been littered with failings which were recognised by the review Commissioner and now a further three years on it’s time for fresh eyes to look at Allan’s disappearance,” said Mr Bryant Snr.
“We will now be seeking a face-to-face meeting with Mr Yousaf at the earliest opportunity to discuss our concerns over the investigation and why we need fresh eyes and thinking as to where we go next in the search for my son.
“As the petition proves, we have the public’s backing and we have been truly humbled by the level of support from the public, not just in signing the petition, but also supporting us ever since Allan went missing.
“We wake up every single day hoping this will be the day we find what happened to Allan and despite the heartache we are still no nearer knowing.
“But we will never give up hope of finding out what happened to our son and will continue to keep his case in the public eye.”
Responding to Mr Bryant, Detective Chef Inspector Kevin Houliston said: “The investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding Allan Bryant’s disappearance in November, 2013 is ongoing.
“Any new information that officers receive will be fully investigated. I would again urge anyone that may hold information that could assist us, to come forward as soon as possible.”
He added that anyone with information can contact Police Scotland by calling 101 or emailing OperationToner@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Information can be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
