Supporting officers and staff

Officer recruitment
Since the last meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board, we have welcomed two intakes of new probationary officers to the Service.
I welcomed 195 new officers on 27 March and last week an intake of around 120 joined Police Scotland. Our latest intake are the first to undertake an enhanced and expanded initial training curriculum.
As part of a flexible approach which allows officers to be based locally in the communities they will serve, new probationary officers will make the declaration of a Constable, their oath of office, at local ceremonies.
Staff survey
In 2021, a third of officers and staff took part in a colleague survey with their feedback used to identify and deliver change including investment in leaders through Your Leadership Matters; enhanced wellbeing provisions; and initiatives such as It’s the Little Things, which seeks to empower people to reduce hindrance stressors in the workplace.
We’ve provided regular updates internally and to the Authority on progress against the key themes of the survey.
I’ve been clear I want officers and staff to know they have a voice. That’s why I have commissioned a fresh survey to give me and my Executive the insight we need to continue driving positive change to benefit our workforce. Their feedback will tell us what matters most and we will take the necessary action to deliver on their needs.
I want this survey to be robust, comparable, and able to benchmark across the UK with academic rigour. Our procurement process is under way and we will share further information as progress is made.
Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Centenary Conference
This week, I am addressing the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Centenary Conference.
The leaders throughout the Superintending ranks are essential to the success and development of policing in Scotland and the Association is an important critical friend and champion for our vital public service.
Scottish Police Disability and Carers Association (DACA)
On Monday, 30 April, I joined members of the Scottish Police Disability and Carers Association to listen to their experiences, as part of a series of engagements with our highly valued non-statutory staff associations.
The Scottish Police Disability and Carers Association (DACA) works to raise awareness of the issues experienced by colleagues who have a disability and/or caring responsibilities.
I want to recognise and pay tribute to their essential work to advocate for their members and drive necessary change in policing and across society.
Special Constables
On Saturday, 11 May, I met and thanked some of the inspiring people who work beside our regular officers to keep people safe during our Special Constabulary Conference at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan.
Police volunteers play an important role in our service to Scotland’s communities and last year alone they dedicated more than 58,000 volunteering hours across 8,500 shifts.
One example of the great value of Special Constables was illustrated by work in the Scottish Borders (J) Division where 25 volunteers are actively deployed. They have developed a special initiative team who deploy as a unit of between four and eight officers during peak weekend periods to support the local policing plan.
Since the team was created, they have increased volunteer hours by more than 20% and delivered annual additional value to the Division of around £140,000. They have carried out 2,500 vehicle checks, stopping disqualified and uninsured drivers from bringing danger to our roads, and helped recover £160,000 worth of drugs, preventing them from entering communities and ruining lives.
Although we can place a time or cost value beside this work when making clear the compelling business case for the Special Constabulary, the contribution is priceless.
I want to create more opportunity to support volunteering colleagues and encourage people to become Special Constables, including in specialist roles - as a route into policing and for those who want to work alongside us for their local communities.
Retired Police Officers Association Annual Conference
In April, I addressed the 77th annual conference of the Retired Police Officers Association Scotland during which I was able to thank members of their work to support those who are retired and retiring from policing.
The association has more than 6,000 members and their work to provide welfare support and help those transitioning to retirement is vital to maintain the social bonds of our broad policing family.