Police Scotland officer Alan Greer revealed as serial rapist and attempted murderer
Police Scotland officer Alan Greer has been revealed as a serial rapist and attempted murderer after taking his own life, prompting investigations into his crimes.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Police Scotland officer Alan Greer revealed as serial rapist and attempted murderer
A Police Scotland officer who took his own life in May has been revealed as a serial rapist who carried out a series of sexual attacks and attempted murders of women over at least 14 years. The case has drawn comparisons with the Wayne Couzens scandal in London.
Alan Greer, 47, joined the force in 2009 and served for 17 years, latterly as an officer safety trainer. His offending came to light after a woman walked into a Glasgow police station late last year to report a historical rape. She had been attacked in 2012, hours after she called police to report being a victim of a different crime. Two officers visited her home, took a statement and left. One of them, Greer, returned alone a few hours later and raped her.
The case was passed to Police Scotland's anti-corruption unit in February 2026. Investigators identified Greer after discovering he had repeatedly checked police computer records in the weeks and months after the attack to see if anything had been added. They also found he had searched for crimes linked to a phone number belonging to a Glasgow prostitute.
In April 2026, Greer's home was raided and his devices seized. His phone contained thousands of graphic images and videos, revealing he had used hundreds of prostitutes during his police career. Evidence showed he had violently sexually assaulted or attempted to murder at least five of them. So far, evidence of eight crimes has been discovered, including inappropriate photographs taken of two female police officers. Detectives are not yet halfway through trawling the images and more victims are expected to emerge.
Greer was arrested on 24 April 2026. Less than two weeks later, on 6 May, he took his own life, leaving a wife and child. His family and colleagues are understood to have been completely unaware of his violent double life.
Police Scotland has said the investigation is one of the largest and most complex anti-corruption inquiries ever undertaken by the force. Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliffe said: "The vast, vast majority of officers and staff who work for Police Scotland are good people who are motivated by a desire to serve the public." She insisted there were no missed opportunities to stop Greer earlier, though the force said it would keep that under review.
The case has inevitably drawn comparisons with the Wayne Couzens case in London, where a Metropolitan Police officer raped and murdered Sarah Everard. Mark Daly, BBC Scotland's investigations correspondent, said: "The picture that is emerging is of an extremely violent, prolific sex offender who targeted vulnerable women, abused his power undetected for many years and he was one of their own."
Police Scotland has appealed for any other victims to come forward. A charity supporting survivors of sexual assault noted the difficulty of reporting a crime committed by a police officer, saying: "Can you imagine being the survivor of a crime perpetrated by a police officer and then having to walk into a police station, be faced by other officers and the uniforms? That must have been absolutely traumatising."
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC NEWS | BBC One |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Greer's offending dates back to at least 2012 when he raped a vulnerable woman he met while on duty. | · | ||
| Greer's phone contained evidence of hundreds of contacts with prostitutes and violent sexual assaults or attempted murders of at least five women. | · | ||
| At least nine victims have been identified, five of whom were sex workers. | · | · | |
| Greer joined the police in 2009 and served for 17 years. | · | · | |
| Police Scotland stated there were no missed opportunities to stop Greer earlier. | · | · | |
| The anti-corruption unit launched a major investigation after a complaint about a historical serious sexual assault at the end of 2025. | · | · | |
| Two of Greer's victims were female police officers, of whom he took inappropriate photographs. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News provided the most detailed and authoritative account, with exclusive reporting by investigations correspondent Mark Daly. The tone was serious and factual, emphasising the scale of the offending, the investigative process, and the inevitable comparisons to Wayne Couzens. It included a live interview with Daly explaining how the case came to light and the role of police computer checks.
- “I think it would be fair to say that this is a truly shocking investigation. This officer has clearly abused his power and that he has revisited someone that he's encountered in the course of his duties.”
- “Comparisons with the Wayne Couzens case in London are inevitable and that's because the picture that is emerging is of an extremely violent, prolific sex offender who targeted vulnerable women, abused his power undetected for many years and he was one of their own.”
BBC One West carried a shorter version of the same BBC News report, focusing on the core facts of the investigation and the timeline. The coverage was less detailed than the main BBC News broadcast but maintained the same factual tone. It also included unrelated political news about devolution and heatwaves, indicating it was a regional news bulletin.
- “A BBC investigation has found that a police officer who took his own life in May was a violent rapist who carried out a series of sexual attacks and attempted murders of women over a period of at least 14 years.”
- “His phone revealed he'd used hundreds of prostitutes, sexually assaulting or trying to kill some of them.”
5 News presented the story with a more emotive and victim-focused angle, using phrases like 'absolutely horrible' and highlighting the trauma of reporting a crime by a police officer. It included an interview with a former superintendent who stressed the damage to trust, and a charity spokesperson. The report also noted that Greer targeted sex workers, making them less likely to report.
- “It's horrible. It's absolutely horrible. There's no other word for it. Absolutely horrible.”
- “The fact that there's been criminality on duty is probably the most damaging thing that's happened here that's come out so far.”
- “Can you imagine, you know being the Survivor or crime perpetrated by a police officer and then having to walk into a police station Be faced by other officers and the uniforms that must have been absolutely traumatizing for her”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.