Update

HMICS Strategic Review of the Scottish Police Authority

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s (HMICS) published his Strategic Review of the Scottish Police Authority on 11 June 2024.

The Scottish Police Authority has a critical role to play maintaining, supporting, overseeing, and holding policing to account for the policing services delivered across the country. The insights and assurance offered by HMICS through its programme of review and inspection informs our work. I am pleased this latest review of the Authority recognises the significant achievement and substantial efforts to develop the Authority as a professional and strategic scrutiny body for policing in Scotland.

I want to thank my fellow Board members and the Chief Executive for their vision, leadership and direction and recognise the efforts of the staff team who support the Board. Together they have delivered significant improvements over the last four years. The Authority has embraced continuous improvement in its own work and across policing delivery and I have no doubt that journey to drive improvement will continue in the years ahead.

Board Members Appointed

On 10 June 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced the appointment of three new Board Members to the Scottish Police Authority.

I was pleased to welcome Chris Creegan, Pauline Howie and Angela Leitch to our bi-monthly Members seminar earlier this month, and look forward to their input to this, their first Board meeting.

2.3 Members will be aware that the Scottish Government’s Public Appointment Team initially sought to appoint four new Board members. Unfortunately, one of the applicants recommended for appointment did not accept the post for personal reasons when it was offered. I anticipate another round of member appointments in 2025.

Membership of Committee and Groups

With three new members now joined the Board, I am seeking approval to appoint them to various committee and groups. For ease of reference, I have set out the membership of our committee and groups, highlighting proposed additions at Appendix A.

In addition to recommending Chris, Pauline and Angela, I am proposing that Catriona Stewart comes off both the Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee and Legal Committee and joins the People Committee.

Assistant Chief Constables

On Thursday 30 May I announced the appointment of three new Assistant Chief Constables to Police Scotland. Stuart Houston, Catriona Paton and Mark Sutherland took post as Temporary Assistant Chief Constables on 10 June.

All three officers bring a wealth of skills and experience to support the Chief Constable and enhance her leadership team to progress the next important phase of police reform. I am also extremely grateful to all the officers to put themselves forward for such a demanding selection process.

The three appointed officers are current students on the College of Policing’s Executive Leadership Programme. They have been appointed to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable on a temporary basis, pending successful completion of the course, then their appointment will become substantive.

Biometrics in Criminal Justice Conference

Last week, the Authority together with the Biometrics Commissioner and Police Scotland hosted a Biometrics conference which sought to explore and understand the use of biometrics in Scotland. This was the first conference of its kind in Scotland.

This event explored the extraordinary transformation in crime detection and prosecution enabled by biometrics in Scotland, and provided insights and discussion into the potential future use and, critically, the ethical boundaries that must be set around the rapidly developing capabilities of biometrics and technology.

Speakers and attendees considered the wider impact on our individual and social wellbeing, and we discuss views on the not inconsiderable challenge of striking the right balance between the policing mission of keeping us all safe and our individual rights to privacy.

My hope is that the conference marks the start of a national conversation, in the year ahead, that seeks to build understanding and awareness of how live facial recognition technology could help keep people safe, and the ethical and human rights checks and balances that should underpin its potential use if it was adopted.

Engagement with Unite

Last week, Fiona McQueen and I met with Unite where we discussed a range of important issues including health and safety, the estate, reward and the ongoing work to develop and improve the culture in policing. I am grateful to Unite for their time and valuable input to support and scrutiny of policing.