Report Summary
This provides an overview of Police Scotland's contact with children and young people alongside a comparison with England and Wales
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Arrests and Custody
To arrest an individual, Police Scotland warranted officers need reasonable grounds to suspect involvement with a crime. This can include suspecting an individual of committing a crime and wanting to question them further, possessing sufficient evidence to charge an individual with a crime, and arrest warrants having been issued for an individual.
Police custody is when an individual is held in a secure location, typically at a police station, and is under the supervision of police officers or staff.
In November 2022 the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland hosted a roundtable event with a wide range of civic and civil society partners to discuss how we can work together to reduce the number of children under 18 who are held in police custody as the only available place of safety.
There was full agreement at the event that holding children in police custody cells is not an appropriate setting and not in the interest of the child. However there was also recognition that there is currently a lack of suitable alternatives.
