Report Summary
This report provides members of the Scottish Police Authority People Committee with an overview of Police Scotland’s improvement activity in response to the findings of the HMICS Inspection of Organisational Culture. This was presented for discussion at the meeting on 25 February 2025.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
People Committee - 25 February 2025
Date : 25 February 2025
Location : Online
Alignment with Organisational Strategy/ Plans
In recent times a large number of recommendations and actions have emanated from external and independent reviews and inspections and Police Scotland’s own strategies and plans. This resulted in a cluttered and complex landscape. There was a need to map our commitments and actions to ensure alignment and to identify priorities and increase focus.
The following reviews and inspections were mapped alongside our Policing Together Strategy, Sex Equality and Tackling Misogyny Action Plan, Operational Evolve 3-Year Business Plan and the Annual Police Plan:
• May 2023 – Baseline Assessment of Police Scotland’s approach to Human Rights. Conducted by Jane Gordon, Human Rights Lawyer.
• Dec 2023 - HMICS Thematic Inspection of Organisational Culture in Police Scotland.
• Aug 2024 - EDI & HR IRG Final Report.
• Nov 2024 – BDO Internal Audit of EqHRIA.
The mapping and alignment exercise revealed a total of 230 recommendations and actions were being managed across the strategies, plans, inspections, and reviews listed above. The work confirmed extensive overlap particularly in relation to the below areas:
• Leadership Development
• Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racist Training/Learning
• Human Rights and EqHRIA Improvement
• Grievance and Complaints
• Recruitment and Retention
• Workforce Engagement
• Data and Performance Reporting
To strengthen governance and oversight all EDI, culture and human rights related actions were drawn under the Policing Together Implementation Plan. They will be managed via a new dashboard built on 4Action, Police Scotland’s corporate action management system. This approach incorporates the actions in the most simple and effective way, removing duplication and enabling increased quality assurance and scrutiny of progress.
Although the Improvement Plan will evolve and flex over time there are currently 13 Master Actions (Commitments) and 79 tasks which will deliver on the Master Actions/Commitments. Each task has considerations from the reviews/assessments undertaking which must be referenced when providing updates.
Reporting standards will be set to ensure our updates satisfy the requirements in respect of legislative, scrutiny and voluntary reporting.
Furthermore, our Police Scotland and SPA Joint Equality Outcomes for Policing are being developed and the mapping and alignment exercise has been a source of evidence informing this work. The Equality Outcomes will be aligned to the Policing Together Strategy and the Strategy Implementation Plan will be a delivery mechanism for the Equality Outcomes.
The Workforce Survey results will be mapped against the Implementation Plan and activities required drawn into the plan.
The Mapping and Alignment exercise has successfully brought all our EDI, Culture and Human Rights related work into one Policing Together Implementation Plan.
On 23 January Police Scotland representatives briefed HMICS Assistant Inspector Constabulary Mark Hargreaves and Lead Inspector Annie Crowley on the foregoing. Both were complementary with the approach taken and suggested the work carried out would support the closure of Recommendation 11. Evidence submission is being prepared.
