Prisoners asked to make ‘Tripadvisor-style’ ratings of stays in Scottish police cells

He warned that prisoners could exploit the survey to complain about their arrest and what happened to them, which could end up wasting police time.

“People have a right to complain, but the way they are going about this just seems very strange,” he added.

An unnamed officer told the Daily Record that he was “beyond embarrassed”, adding: “We’re not listed on Booking.com or Tripadvisor, we’re a police force trying to do our jobs the best we can.

“On top of everything else, now we have to worry about whether folk thought the beds were comfy and enjoyed the sandwiches.”

Sharon Dowey, the Scottish Tories’ deputy justice spokesman, warned that “overstretched officers have better things to do with their time than conduct customer-satisfaction surveys on behalf of suspected criminals.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Our user experience survey will give us a better understanding of why individuals are in custody, any additional support or referrals required and will build a picture of the experience of custody across Scotland. This will help us to reduce re-offending and harm in our communities.

“Custody is not a punishment, and we have an ethical duty to ensure the welfare of thousands of individuals in our care, many of whom are already vulnerable and have complex welfare and healthcare needs.

“We continue to engage with partner organisations and will launch the survey later this year.”