Who We Are

The Scottish Police Authority is independent of both the Scottish Government and policing. It is the primary governance body for policing in Scotland, and was established as a public body on 1 April 2013 by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. It was set up to hold the Chief Constable to account; promote, support and oversee improvement in policing. It is also responsible for the management and delivery of Forensic Services in Scotland and Independent Custody Visiting Scotland.

In this section, find out more about the Authority’s priorities, the Board and the Leadership team.

Who We Are

What We Do

The Scottish Police Authority is responsible for maintaining policing. It has four specific areas of responsibility:

promoting the policing principles

supporting continuous improvement

keeping policing under review

holding the Chief Constable to account.

This section tells you in outline what the Authority does.

What We Do

Complaints

Are you dissatisfied with the service you have received from policing in Scotland?

The Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and the Police Investigations and Reviews Commissioner (PIRC) all have a role to play in considering complaints about policing in Scotland.

In this section, find out who to direct your complaint to. We also welcome written communication in Gaelic (see our Gaelic Language Plan).

Complaints

News

The Scottish Police Authority communicates regularly about our role, activities and oversight of policing in Scotland.

You can find all our latest news articles listed in date order. You can also search these by topic or year.

Showing 13 to 23 of 23 results

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Local Police Plans: A Framework for Scrutiny

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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Mental Health, Vulnerability and Policing Conference

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Approved

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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Strengthening police engagement with seldom heard groups

Published: 07 February 2023

Policy

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Call for views on the SPA's Draft Gaelic Language Plan

Published: 07 February 2023

Policy

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Joint Equality Outcomes 2021-2023 published

Published: 03 February 2023

Policy

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SPA at Justice Sub Committee on 15 March 2021

Published: 03 February 2023

Policy Technology

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Have you heard about Corporate Parenting?

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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Police Reform: Learnings in Scotland

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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Strategic review of policing in England and Wales

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy

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SPA Chair at Scottish International Policing Conference

Published: 18 April 2023

Policy Research

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News

Local Police Plans: A Framework for Scrutiny

Mental Health, Vulnerability and Policing Conference

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Approved

Strengthening police engagement with seldom heard groups

Call for views on the SPA's Draft Gaelic Language Plan

Joint Equality Outcomes 2021-2023 published

SPA at Justice Sub Committee on 15 March 2021

Have you heard about Corporate Parenting?

Police Reform: Learnings in Scotland

Strategic review of policing in England and Wales

SPA Chair at Scottish International Policing Conference