Change to prioritise frontline policing

Policing must evolve to live within projected funding in future years and with an operating model that's fit for the challenges of today, and those coming down the line.
Some of our evolution will be in our structures and working practices. Everything we do will be about prioritising the frontline to deliver on prevention, problem solving and tackling areas of high harm.
As part of this, I want us to be the most digitally enabled police force in Europe, using technical capabilities to improve both our efficiency and effectiveness.

Policing in a Digital World
Our Policing in a Digital World Programme will enable us to continue keeping Scotland’s people, communities, businesses and assets safe in both the physical and digital world.
We presented progress under the programme earlier this month, outlining how we are enhancing our own capabilities and capacities as we respond to online child sexual abuse and exploitation and fraud.
Our first Policing in a Digital World Annual Report also outlined how we have forged strong partnerships with Cyber Scotland, the Cyber and Fraud Centre and agencies such as the Scottish Government’s SC3 (Cyber Coordination Centre). This has included collaboration within academia – such as Abertay’s Cyber Quarter and with the support of the Scottish Police Authority and particularly Caroline Stuart.
As part of the Policing in a Digital World programme and along with the Authority, we developed the Rights Based Pathway to define steps prior to introducing new capabilities. We have a positive duty to the public and victims of crime to embrace new technologies which help keep people safe in the digital world. The pathway ensures such capabilities are introduced with appropriate safeguards and in a way which adheres to our values and upholds human rights.

Enhanced CCTV survey - Aberdeen
We are seeking views on a proposal to introduce the use of a CCTV system which can find missing or vulnerable people more quickly, trace suspects and significantly reduce the time officers spend on inquiries.
BriefCam makes use of enhanced search software to assist operators review large amounts of data over multiple streams quicker and can deliver more accurate description matches for further action.
The platform was jointly purchased in 2020 by Police Scotland and Aberdeen City Council. It is used by the council to monitor traffic, journey time and footfall counting. It is not being used by Police Scotland currently.
Operators can enter and search for a specific description such as ‘red jacket and black trousers’ – the system will present all instances of the combination requested much more quickly to be included or eliminated from an investigation and help us to protect the public more effectively.
BriefCam does have biometric (facial) functionality, however this capability is disabled at an engineering/system level and cannot be accessed by Police Scotland or Aberdeen City Council. No Live Facial Recognition or Retrospective Facial Matching will be undertaken.
The proposal to use BriefCam has been progressed through the Rights Based Pathway which ensures robust processes are in place surrounding the introduction of technology in policing, focusing on human rights compliance, key ethical considerations and maximising stakeholder engagement and communication.
A survey has been opened for an initial seven weeks to gather public views and I encourage people to take part and share their views.

Taser uplift progress
Police Scotland has a duty to protect life and ensure the safety of police officers and the public. Taser gives officers an additional tactical option to keep people safe. Following a rise in officer assaults, we made a commitment in 2021 to increase the number of Specially Trained Officers from 500 to 2,000 by 2024. Our final initial courses will take place next week, completing this uplift.
The presence of an officer with Taser can help de-escalate a situation – in 85 per cent of our Taser uses, which includes drawing and aiming, the Taser isn’t actually discharged. Officers will attend, they’ll use their communication skills and assess whether it’s appropriate or not to use Taser. Officers undergo thorough training that is heavily focused on de-escalation.
Taser can be a useful tool in safely subduing violent and unpredictable people. Other more traditional methods such as baton strikes and direct contact can lead to injury to both the officer and to the person. Taser allows officers to keep that distance and avoid direct physical contact.
The nature of policing means officers often respond to incidents that are fast paced and dynamic, where information is limited and time is critical. The priority is removing the risk posed by that person to themselves or others.
Equipping our officers with this tactical option is a tangible example of Police Scotland investing in officer and public safety and I thank those who stepped forward for this additional training and everyone involved in implementing it.

VR/VER update
During a window for applications for voluntary redundancy and voluntary early retirement, we received 756 notes of interest - 72 per cent of these were for voluntary early retirement and 28 per cent for voluntary redundancy.
Assessment of which posts the Service can release as part of the programme continues. We will notify those who have noted their interest and are in posts that can be released, as well as those in posts which cannot be supported for release from 1 April onwards. We expect releases to take place from the summer.
We continue to engage with colleagues and communicate about this process and timeline and regular consultation with trade unions is also ongoing. Our commitment to no compulsory redundancies remains.