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

Published: 31 August 2022

SPA at Justice Sub Committee on 15 March 2021

Topic: Policy Technology

Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority and Lynn Brown, Chief Executive of the SPA, gave evidence at the Justice Sub Committee session today (15 March 2021).

Martyn's Opening Statement in which he set his vision & priorities for policing in period ahead saying he would prioritise progress on Localism, Social Justice, Emerging Technology & Research.

You can watch a recording of the session on Parliament TV.

Article initially published 15 March 2021

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SPA at Justice Sub Committee on 15 March 2021