Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a bi-annual update on activity across Learning, Training and Development.

Learning & Development 3 Year Plan

The L&D Plan was developed to replace the draft L&D Strategy and is a deliverable within the People Strategy. Implementation of this is being driven through the Strategic L&D Governance Board. It focusses on the infrastructure that underpins the delivery of L&D, as opposed to front end delivery of L&D products. The 6 priorities within the plan are:

• Structure
• Governance & Prioritisation
• Protected Time for Learning
• Identification of Role Requirements
• Virtual Instructor Led Training
• Online CPD Platform

The first two priorities have been the main area of focus over recent months with a paper approved through the Strategic Leadership Board to progress implementation of a centralised training function and enhancement of governance processes to support this.

Owners and milestones have been proposed for all other priorities but have yet to be agreed. The majority of activity takes place in years 2 and 3 with the structure and governance strands being established first.

Operation Uriel

Under the ‘Operation Uriel’ banner, a centralised training function has been approved to move to implementation. This will see the majority of other training functions across the organisation merging with the Learning, Training & Development (LTD) function to provide holistic management, standards and governance around training delivery.

A team will be set up in the immediate future to take this work forward with ambitious timescales in order to yield the benefits as soon as possible. Benefits include consistency of training standards, centralised management of budgets, maximised and more flexible use of training resources including classrooms, a more streamlined relationship with the College of Policing, and more robust and streamlined prioritisation and planning of all L&D activity.

It is also assessed that the move to a single training approach should provide equal access to resources and development opportunities, promoting a culture of inclusivity. It will facilitate and enhance the sharing of best practice and collaborative learning, leading to a more skilled and adaptable workforce. It should also allow for more clearly defined career pathways and lateral development through cross-functional upskilling within the training portfolios which would support recruitment, employee motivation, engagement, job satisfaction and staff retention.

Performance and Planning

A Prioritisation and Planning matrix has been designed for oversight and discussion at the Strategic L&D Governance Board. This projects training days for the next 1-2 years and is categorised into legal requirements, essential role requirements, strategic requirements and developmental activity. This also includes the projected status of divisions to absorb additional training on a monthly basis.

Whilst the matrix is still being enhanced with additional information, this now provides a more holistic picture to enable decision making around prioritisation of training whilst considering what the organisation can reasonably absorb over a given period.

The Training Compliance dashboard, which features key/priority training compliance rates across the organisation, is being used across Divisions / Departments with a recent decision to extend access from staff Grade 8/Chief Inspector and above, to all managers. This will enable extended use of this as a management tool to ensure officers and staff are completing key training products, including re-certification training to maintain competence.

Driver Training

Following adoption of College of Policing licensing within Armed Policing (AP), demand has increased for Advanced Driver training from approximately 40 spaces per year to a current list of 350 officers requiring training. In addition, a further 470 officers now require Pursuit Management training. This is over and above the normal BAU training demands from the Armed Policing, Road Policing and Specialist Crime business areas.

Additionally, the current demand for Standard Response Driving is 531 SCOPE documented demand). It is assessed, however, that the true figure is approximately 2000-3000 due to course criteria requirements.

Furthermore, to comply with legislation, each Standard Response trained officer must undertake a 1-day High Speed Driving Assessment every 5 years. This equates to 1985 officers currently requiring this training per year.

Both Advanced and Standard Response driving have been highlighted as critical training needs at the organisational Health & Safety Board and this issue is regularly raised by the Scottish Police Federation, as well as Divisional Commanders.

In November 2024, HMICS published a ‘Thematic inspection of road policing in Scotland’. This acknowledged that specialist training available to Road Policing Officers was of the highest standard however, acknowledged the ‘considerable’ backlog of officers requiring training. Recommendations included taking urgent steps to address the backlog in specialist driver training.

A bid for additional Driving Instructors was approved recently through the Revenue Investment Group to recruit 7 Instructors up to 31st March 2026. There were 5 successful candidates, but all will require a minimum of 8 weeks training prior to course delivery and will only provide training in delivery of Standard Response Driving.

Further options are currently being developed to resolve this position.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion training

Anti-racist training (entitled ‘Unity through Learning’) was delivered to 6 test groups in November 2024 with a wider launch in December 2024. This was pushed back slightly to accommodate Quality Assurance considerations in advance of sign-off on the product.

As at the end of January 2025, 304 officers and staff had completed this face-to-face training, and it is planned to step up the volume of delivery and deliver this course to every member of Police Scotland.

The ‘Upholding our Values’ e-learning package has now been completed by 71.4% of the organisation (as at the end of January 2025).

Operational Safety Training (OST)

The organisational deadline for OST recertification is 28th February 2025. Beyond this date, any eligible individual who fails to recertify will have their authority to deploy in an operational capacity withdrawn. As of 30th January, 95.28% of eligible officers/staff (up to and including Inspectors, less those on long term sick, protected or light duties) are within a 12-month certification window for OST.

This is a positive and reassuring improvement on previous reporting and represents a return to compliance levels seen pre the training suspension in late 2023/early 2024.

With the Training Compliance dashboard being made available to Resource Deployment Units, this will allow more effective planning and allocation of training spaces. OST Recertification Courses have been scheduled for the remainder of 2025, with work commencing on the 2026 diary to further increase the opportunity to populate courses.

The OST Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Test of Change (monthly OST sessions) being hosted in Inverclyde is due to conclude at the end of March 2025. Interim analysis has found a reduction in injuries through assault in Inverclyde of 19% over the initial 6 months of the pilot. Following the test period, the Analysis and Performance Unit will undertake a full analysis and report findings to the Use of Force Monitoring Group.

An equivalent Custody Operations OST CPD package remains in development, with the intention that this will be launched over the coming months within Kittybrewster, Aberdeen for CJPCSOs and officers based in this environment.

Probationer Training

Training has been delivered at both Tulliallan and Jackton sites during 2024/25 in order to meet the uplift in probationer numbers. There are currently 251 probationers on course 4 of 2024 (198 at Tulliallan and 53 at Jackton) with a further 122 on course 5 of 2024 all located at Tulliallan.

Although reduced probationer numbers are forecast for 2025/26, it has been decided that training will continue to be delivered over the two venues due to the favourable evaluation of this approach.

Circa 3000 police officers are currently undertaking, or have completed, the Modern Apprenticeship journey. The absorption of the Numeracy Core Skill into Module 1 of Probationer training has worked well, with direct student support and scheduling of drop-in sessions and assessments being carried out in an environment where peer support groups can add additional benefits to confidence and competence.

International

Malawi and Zambia: Scottish Government funding for our 3-year programme in Malawi and Zambia has been approved. This has allowed progress to be made with in-person delivery of training with 3 deployments to both Malawi and Zambia having been completed. As a result of these deployments, six Sexual Offences and Child Protection courses have been run in each country providing training to 120 police officers in Malawi and 118 police officers in Zambia.

The cadre of officers and staff supporting this has been expanded, providing a range of skills required during the programme and work has been progressing on the development of 3 new training packages – an adapted version of Sexual Offences Liaison Officers (SOLO) training, an adapted version of Joint Investigative Interview training and a course aimed at supervisors of more complex investigations.

Norway Mentoring Programme: this programme is now in its 3rd year and, due to its success, has been expanded to include Finland taking the total number of students to 8. The subjects being studied are negotiation, de-escalation, drugs death and domestic abuse.

This programme has also developed Police Scotland officers who undertook theoretical training in mentoring prior to taking part. The ongoing collaboration work with Norwegian and Finnish Police Universities has led to potential global funding opportunities through the UArctic network which would allow Police Scotland officers access to international studies and development programmes.

Global Police Innovation Exchange Board (GPX): an evaluation of Year 1 and 2 of the GPX Leadership Programme has been completed by the Australian Federal Police and findings presented in October 2024. Further discussions are ongoing in relation to which model to take forward.

The second cohort on this Programme will undertake the final residential element at Tulliallan from 7th February 2025 and will present their final Global Police Challenge presentations to the GPX Board.

Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP) secondments: following a recruitment exercise, 2 officers have been deployed to the Falkland Islands and have integrated well into the RFIP. Both offices are utilising their skills to assist in training and development of probationary officers. Correspondingly, an RFIP officer commenced probationer training at Tulliallan in January 2025.

International Study Visits: A range of inputs relating to Human Resources, Recruitment, Equality & Diversity and Staff Associations was given to a group of 35 officers and staff from the Norwegian Joint Police Association in December 2024.

World Cup 2026 / Major Football Events: In response to identified demand, particularly from North American partners ahead of the World Cup 2026, a 1 week programme has been developed and will be hosted at Tulliallan. It will focus on policing major football events.

A programme has been developed and key partners such as football clubs, the Scottish Football Association and the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) will be involved in the delivery of the programme in 2025. It is intended that through the offering of this programme, Police Scotland will benefit from an extended network of international partnerships and will enhance the reputation of the organisation as a global leader in programmes of this nature.

Quality Assurance

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) carried out a full 4 yearly Periodic Review of the Scottish Police College, Tulliallan as an SCQF Credit Rating Body (CRB) in November 2024. Once again, the College received a Green/Very Low Risk status against all criteria within the SCQF Quality Assurance Model used to measure the effectiveness of CRB systems and processes. The college continues to be 1 of only 9 organisations out with the FE/HE sector to be afforded CRB status.

In January 2025 the Scottish Police College was also subject to a full 2-3 yearly Systems Verification audit by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). This also resulted in a “green” status against all 26 SQA criteria with a number of areas of good practice identified. This allows the college continued recognition as an SQA Approved Centre and the awarding of the Certificate in Policing/Modern Apprenticeship.

These significant achievements are reflective of the effectiveness of the quality assurance systems and processes developed and managed by LTD, which support continued external recognition by SCQF and SQA and allow continued awarding of formal credit and qualifications to learners who successfully complete a range of Police Scotland programmes.