Overview

I want to thank our communities for their support and good sense during a challenging time which has seen appalling violence and disorder in parts of the United Kingdom.
Our thoughts are with the individuals and communities who have been affected in recent weeks and with our brave colleagues from across UK policing who have put themselves in harm's way to protect the public.
We continue to be closely in touch with other police services and have provided mutual aid support, a valuable principle in UK policing which is balanced against the needs of policing in Scotland.
During recent weeks, I met with the First Minister John Swinney MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Angela Constance MSP, Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown MSP and Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray MP to brief them on our response. Scottish Police Authority Chair Martyn Evans was also fully briefed by me and other Chief Officers on a regular basis.
As Chief Constable, my priority continues to be the safety and security of the people of Scotland, including our officers and staff.
Policing in Scotland has strong relationships with the public and we deeply value our role in contributing to the important social cohesion which has been evident here.
I encourage everyone to be responsible in their use of social media - please do not share speculation or inaccurate information. Think twice about what you read, share and believe from online sources.
We've increased our patrols and people may notice more officers in our towns and cities and we're engaging directly with communities to offer reassurance and support. As part of this, I was pleased to meet with community groups, including the Scottish Refugee Council, Interfaith Scotland, and various ethnic and faith groups and individuals in Glasgow to listen to their perspectives.
We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.
Potential protests, and counter protests will be policed appropriately and our role is to ensure public safety while balancing the rights of protesters who wish to peacefully demonstrate.
But we have sent a clear and consistent message that violence and disorder are not legitimate protest. Anyone who engages in disorder will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.
The policing demand associated with the violence and disorder comes during a busy summer of events including festivals, sporting spectacles, music concerts and a general election.
I am grateful to the many officers and staff who have been involved in planning or providing the support required to allow our communities to go about their business and leisure or exercise their democratic and human rights.
A strong police service able to support law and order is therefore a pre-requisite for the social cohesion and economic development necessary for Scotland to thrive and flourish.
At the same time, Police Scotland continues to tackle threat, harm and risk and my report reflects significant court outcomes achieved following police investigations into murder and violent and sexual crimes, as well as convictions for drug dealing.
I've also highlighted a number of drug recoveries by officers since the last Scottish Police Authority Board - vital work to prevent illegal substances from entering our communities.
Throughout the summer, we've continued our focus on road safety through education and enforcement and, working with partners, reducing the tragedy and harm of road deaths and injuries continues to be an absolute priority for policing.
Closer, more effective, work with partners is vital for the ongoing success of policing and the safety and wellbeing of our communities.
My report outlines important examples of such work which have been illustrated in recent weeks, including the 10 year anniversary event at the Scottish Crime Campus to tackle organised crime; the national roll-out of the Digital Evidence Sharing Capability to better serve victims and witnesses, improve criminal justice efficiency and reduce demand on officers; and fantastic work between Lanarkshire (Q) Division and health colleagues at NHS Lanarkshire to improve outcomes for people in mental health crisis while at the same time reducing officer attendance at emergency departments.
Such developments are a crucial part of the necessary changes to ensure Police Scotland can provide effective policing within the funding available. Working closely with the support and oversight of the Authority, we continue to make progress on a revised model of policing for Scotland so our Service is able to meet current and future challenges.
Of course, our workforce profile will be an important aspect of those discussions and my position on officer numbers remains clear that I want to bring the frontline of policing to its strongest possible position.
We are recruiting officers now and we welcomed over 250 probationary constables last month as part of plans to recruit over 1300 officers during 2024-25, the highest number in a single year for Police Scotland. Last Friday, I congratulated 115 probationary constables as they prepared to deploy to serve communities across Scotland following the completion of their initial training.
At the same time, it is important to be clear that the context of frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount and it is important we continue to maximise experienced officers performing frontline, operational policing for our communities.
My report highlights my thanks the Independent Review Group Chaired by Robin Iffla and the Authority for its oversight led by Tom Halpin for the closure report produced.
The IRG has provided important independent assurance on Police Scotland's ongoing commitment to become an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory Service which reflects, represents and serves all our communities.
I continue to greatly enjoy meeting officers, staff and partners around Scotland to hear directly from them and in recent weeks.
Last month, I met with officers on Shetland and Orkney, during which I was briefed on our work with Dogs Against Drugs on our joint work to deter and detect illegal drugs. I also met with MSP Beatrice Wishart, the Chief Executive of Orkney Islands Council Oliver Reid, NHS Orkney Chief Executive Laura Skaife-Knight as well as local councillors.
Last week, I met with officers at our Marine and Dive Unit and Air Support Unit in Glasgow.
During a visit to Glenrothes, I also had the opportunity to congratulate and thank six-year-old Anthony Green as he completed visits to over 50 police stations to raise almost £2000 for the Police Benevolent Fund.