Police are under investigation over their response to the death of a man in sheltered housing in Inverness.
Albert Insch was found dead at the city’s MacEwan Court last month.
It has emerged that the 72-year-old called police hours before he was found in his home in the Kingsmills area.
The force’s response to the emergency call is now under investigation by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).
The case was referred to the watchdog by the Crown Office.
Pirc is an independent organisation not connected to the police.
Its role is to undertake independent investigations into the most serious incidents involving the police and to provide independent scrutiny of the way police bodies in Scotland respond to complaints from the public.
The police last night said it was aware of the investigation and engaging with the process.
Mr Insch was found in his home at MacEwan Court, run by Cairn Housing Association, at about 8.45am on October 27.
A spokesman for Pirc confirmed that Mr Insch himself had earlier called the emergency services.
He said: “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has instructed the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner to undertake an investigation into the initial police response to a call from a 72-year-old man who was later found dead at a sheltered housing complex in Inverness on Thursday, October 27.
“A report on the commissioner’s findings will be submitted to the COPFS in due course.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland is aware of the PIRC investigation and is fully engaging with the process and will await the findings.”
Mr Insch was a retired electrical engineer who was proprietor of his own firm, Bert Electrical.
His cause of death is currently classed as unknown and is pending toxicology and histology tests.
He is survived by his wife June and his children Nicola, Karen and Albert.
A funeral service for Mr Insch will be held on Thursday at Inverness Crematorium.
A spokesman for Cairn Housing Association said it was aware of the investigation and added that its thoughts were with Mr Insch’s family and friends, as well as other residents at MacEwan Court.
