Change to prioritise frontline policing

Mental Health Taskforce - Mental Health Index
As previously reported, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs is leading Police Scotland's work with partners including the Authority and the Scottish Government and we've established a mental health taskforce to drive work in this priority area at pace.
This month the taskforce has worked with the Scottish Government to provide frontline officers with a mental health index. The index, which is being made available on officers' mobile devices, provides up to date contact arrangements for relevant clinicians across the country which can identify the correct course of action when dealing with a person who is experiencing high-level distress.
The benefits of strengthened local arrangements for members of the public, for the health service and for policing have been powerfully illustrated in Lanarkshire (Q) Division where officers have worked closely with health colleagues at NHS Lanarkshire. Arrangements to enable 24/7 triage with a Psychiatric Liaison Nurse (PLN) saw potential officer attendance at emergency departments fall significantly.
We're sharing the insight of that experience with officers and staff as we look to embed the index in the coming weeks.
Digital Evidence Sharing Capability
Earlier this month we announced, alongside our criminal justice partners, the national roll out of the £33 million Digital Evidence Sharing Capability, following a pilot in Dundee.
It will support victims and witnesses to achieve faster justice outcomes and marks a significant step forward in modernising the collection, management and secure storage of digital evidence across Scotland.
This marks a significant step forward in modernising the collection, management and secure storage of digital evidence across Scotland. It will also support victims and witnesses to achieve faster justice outcomes.
Until now, police officers have relied on transferring digital evidence such as mobile phone images or CCTV onto USB sticks or discs, before delivering them to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Through DESC, officers can obtain and share digital evidence, such as photographs, CCTV or video footage securely and efficiently, saving them time and reducing delays. This will be expanded to include documents and recordings of police interviews.
The system means members of the public and businesses can submit digital evidence – such as material recorded on mobile phones – more easily by email when sent a link by a police officer.
DESC also saves on transport costs and cuts CO2 emissions by reducing the need for physical evidence to be collected in person and stored.
DESC’s expansion in Tayside and now Forth Valley marks the start of a phased national roll-out that is expected to be completed by autumn 2025.
I welcome this development as part of the wider reform of the criminal justice system which I’ve consistently underlined must be prioritised and accelerated to achieve better outcomes for victims and improve efficiencies for witnesses, including police witnesses.
Vision for policing
Work continues to develop a long-term vision for policing in Scotland that can inform our strategic decision making and that everyone in Police Scotland can get behind, knowing that whatever role they perform, they play a part in keeping people safe.
As I have previously reported, we are listening to colleagues in Police Scotland, key partners and other important stakeholders as we develop our vision. I am grateful to colleagues at the Authority, who have taken part in engagement and provided helpful input and challenge.
To support this important work, we are also developing a new operating model and three-year plan that will outline how we will work towards our vision and evolve our Service so that it is better placed to meet current and future challenges that we will progress through normal governance channels and aim to bring to the September SPA Board.