Report Summary
This is the approved Minute from the Meeting of the Scottish Police Authority held on 28 November 2024. The Minute was approved at the meeting on 20 February 2025.
Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Meeting of the Scottish Police Authority - 20 February 2025
Date : 20 February 2025
Location : The Grand Hall, Merchants House, 7 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 1BA - Anyone requiring lift access should enter via the George Square entrance.
HMICS ANNUAL REPORT 2023/24
Craig Naylor (CNaylor) paid tribute to the work conducted during the Chair’s tenure, specifically partnership working with COSLA, work around children in custody, and work on mental health calls. CNaylor referred to the HMICS Inspection of SPA Corporate and praised the improvement work undertaken since the previous inspection in 2019. CNaylor raised concern on the lack of progress from Scottish Government in advertising for a new Chair. CNaylor highlighted a number of key points as detailed within the HMICS Annual Report.
In discussion the following matters were raised:
• The Chair thanked HMICS for the work undertaken and thanked them for their approach and partnership.
• Members sought information on the process for revisiting older recommendations. CNaylor advised that there are regular meetings with the Police Scotland audit and risk team to ensure work is progressing. CNaylor highlighted that some were closed in 2024 after being open 7 years. Members were told HMICS intend to publish recommendation updates on their website.
• Members heard of CNaylor’s concern on the lack of reform in other public sector organisations and his hope for future cross–sector inspections to improve collaboration and drive improvement.
• CNaylor confirmed he would like to have capacity to undertake joint inspections in the preventative space since a lot of work done is done in silo. CNaylor cited recent work to tackle drugs use and drugs deaths and how results of naloxone are positive but there is not a wider society approach to drug issues.
• Members sought further information on any benchmarking work and heard there has been some limited work on conduct and discipline matters with the West Midlands Police. CNaylor also advised of benchmarking work relating to delivery of homicide investigations and in the cyber area.
• The Chair asked how HMICS are moving to joint inspections that are people focussed. CNaylor responded that work is ongoing with the Public Protection Scotland Scrutiny Network to look at outcomes, good practice and challenges around drugs death and mental health.
Members noted the report.