Other Open Recommendations

Senior Officers are responsible for ensuring improvements are prioritised within their respective areas of ownership, meaning work can progress concurrently and independently across all areas without the need for prioritisation between workstreams. Given the scale of work ongoing it is impracticable to update on all progress and therefore below represents a selected sample of recommendations from several improvement plans.

Many of the recommendations require complex organisation-level systemic and cultural change in order to be competently addressed, often dependent on the capability and capacity of multiple enabling stakeholders beyond those assigned ownership. Again, this report can only provide a snapshot of the work undertaken and being progressed.

The original target dates are shown for each; however these have all since been revised, and the remaining work is currently being assessed to accurately identify timescales.

Contact Assessment Model (CAM) 2022

Recommendation Position

R3 - Police Scotland and the SPA should capture the failure demand rate through the C3 and force performance framework and outcomes, to ensure the quality of service delivered to the public through CAM is monitored
This is the last remaining of 8 recommendations made in August 2022.
C3 are working continuously to identify and reduce inefficiencies contributing to unnecessary demand.

C3 has invested in training for staff, designed to reduce failure demand by ensuring that the needs of the public are understood and met accurately from the outset, and this is potentially reflected in the high user satisfaction survey data included within C3 performance reporting. Failures within processes such as local appointments and the transfer of unresolved incidents between C3 and Local Policing (SC07) have been examined and steps taken to improve and standardise service levels and reduce unnecessary touchpoints.
Compliance is being measured through daily and weekly reporting.
The recommendation remains open while work is ongoing to consider how best to identify, record and measure failure demand within the context of C3.

The initial target for completion was May 2023.

Domestic Abuse 2023

Recommendation Position

R1 - Police Scotland should take action to ensure it is meeting its standard of service statutory obligations in offering the gender of interviewing officers to victims of domestic abuse.
Work is ongoing to improve iVPD recording compliance. Work has also been instigated to explore the eventual solution which will likely be delivered through the evolution of COS national crime recording.

The initial target for completion was Sept 2024.

R5 - Police Scotland should streamline the policing response to diary appointments through promoting and embedding a ‘getting it right first-time approach’ and defining parameters of acceptable performance.  It should also put systems in place to obtain data and management information on the use and compliance of diary appointments.
HMICS have acknowledged that improvements have been made in respect of ‘getting it right first time’ as outlined within Police Scotland’s response to several of the CAM recommendations.

Improvements in relation to the second part of the recommendation; putting ‘systems in place to obtain data and MI on the use and compliance of diary appointments’ remain outstanding.

The initial target for completion was March 2024.

R7 Police Scotland should review the role of officers involved in risk assessment and safety planning for domestic abuse incidents to provide national consistency, based on the optimum model, and ensure they are given the appropriate training and support. The Public Protection Development Programme (PPDP) are currently developing delivery detail around an approved future operating model with the intention to pilot in April/May 2025. The new model will include national risk assessment and safety planning training and new standardised processes. The tier 2 safeguarding role will also be reviewed.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2024.

R8 Police Scotland should:
• ensure that all domestic abuse training incorporates an element of lived experience of victims.
• as a matter of priority, introduce a programme of mandatory CPD on key topics for all operational officers, supervisors and managers.
Key topics for the first year should include: DASA offences, to improve officers’ understanding and use of the legislation; trauma informed practices, to improve engagement with victims; and lived experience of victims, to address problematic attitudes and behaviours.
Significant work has been undertaken to address this recommendation. All training has for some time now been developed based on and incorporating elements of lived experience. Among the various steps taken to continue to raise awareness and improve understanding in relation to DASA, 6 new domestic abuse CPD modules have been produced and published. Although these are not presently mandatory, they have been well publicised internally and all frontline officers and staff and supervisors have been encouraged to undertake these modules.
Work is ongoing to make changes to the modules, necessary for it to become mandatory.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2024.

R9 Police Scotland and the SPA need to ensure that investigative opportunities for digital evidence capture are improved and maximised for domestic abuse offences.
The Cyber Crime Knowledge hub was launched in Dec 2024 containing information and links to all relevant guidance documents including guidance in relation to the use of Cyber Kiosks and the Examination Request Form, including flow charts explaining the steps and journey of a device.

Numerous internal communications have also been circulated and a comprehensive first-responders guide is now available to inform officers and staff when interacting with victims, witnesses and suspects in circumstances where the capture of digital evidence is a consideration.

The newly developed CPD modules also provide advice on this matter.

Evidence is currently being collated for submission to HMICS and proposed closure.

The initial target for completion was June 2024.

R10 Police Scotland must, as a priority, introduce a robust system for allocation and monitoring progression of domestic abuse investigation packages at local, regional and national level to ensure there are clear channels of ownership and to improve service to victims.  With the introduction of the new national crime recording system, Police Scotland should introduce a consistent national standard for domestic abuse packages, to include storage in an accessible and auditable format.
Work is ongoing in collaboration between DACU and the Digital Enhancement Team APU to explore the capability of COS UNIFI to house domestic abuse ‘to-trace’ packages. APU have agreed to develop this dashboard however it is yet to commence due to existing backlog.

The initial target for completion was April 2024.

R11 Police Scotland should develop and implement effective processes for communication with victims of domestic abuse that are victim focused and include acceptable timeframes for providing updated information.  Such processes should include clear recording of preferred methods of contact, which can be accessed by relevant personnel.
Work is ongoing to consider how best to introduce a method for recording the victim’s preferred method of contact and standardise and improve the way in which victims are kept apprised of information while matters are being investigated.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2023.

R12 Police Scotland should ensure that the cadre of trained SOLOs across the organisation is sufficient to meet demand and to ensure the wellbeing of these officers. SOLO numbers have increased and steps have been taken to better protect the welfare of SOLOs through the SIO forums and improved SOLO co-ordination.

PPDP are analysing the various task undertake and demand on SOLOs to better understand how best to incorporate wellbeing and resource levels into any public protection model.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2024.

R13 Police Scotland should incorporate the findings and recommendations from our Strategic Workforce Planning Assurance Review in its approach to the Public Protection Development Programme.  It should review its structures holistically and for its response to domestic abuse: -
• Establish an in-depth and accurate picture of current and forecasted demand levels.
• Set out clearly defined service level standards to meet victims’ needs.
• Establish the resource level needed to meet demand.
• Implement the best model nationally and locally to effect the change needed to support the concept of investigative ownership and continuity of contact/engagement with victims.
Ensure the resources within that model are empowered and have the requisite skills and training to equip them in the complex area of domestic abuse.
Evidence was submitted to HMICS in July 2024 outlining the aims and intentions of the PPDP and service design principles being applied.

HMICS acknowledged the programme was still in the discovery stage and the recommendation would remain open until evidence of tested solutions had been developed and delivered.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2024.

R14 Police Scotland and the SPA should put in place measures to monitor progress against the areas for development outlined in this thematic review.
13 Areas for Development were identified by HMICS during their inspection. Work is yet to commence on these and all 13 currently remain open.

The initial target for completion was Dec 2023.

Crime Audit 2020

Recommendation Position

R2 - Police Scotland should revise its current Crime Recording Strategy to focus on effective implementation and better consider the required level of cultural change required to improve SCRS compliance
The 2018 Strategy document referred to in the 2021 report is no longer available. Our strategic aims and guidance in relation to implementation are now encompassed in the current published policy and comprehensive 2024 ‘Scottish Crime Recording Standards and Counting Rules Third-Party Guidance’.

The initial target for completion was Sept 2022.

R3 Police Scotland should review its overall approach to incident compliance, considering what constitutes best practice in quality assurance processes in C3, specialist units and frontline policing, establishing clear relative roles and responsibilities.
In 2023 a 3-stage plan was developed and SLWG stood up to progress
the development of ‘National Crime Management Processes’.

The group produced a plan with 11 improvement recommendations, presented to the ACC Major Crime in April 2024.

These recommendations once delivered will address this and the other HMICS recommendations.

The initial target for completion was Sept 2022.

R4 - Police Scotland should review crime management unit structures taking the opportunity to maximise the benefits of the new single national crime recording system.
As above. Recommendation 4, 5, and 6 of the National Crime Management Processes relate specifically.

HMICS provided feedback in January 2025: Notwithstanding the 2025 Crime Audit, this work can be considered independently of the revised audit. The referenced “Stage 3” report appears to be the driver for this work, from which evidence could be derived and submitted with appropriate timescales.

The initial target for completion was Sept 2022.

R5 - Police Scotland should develop a comprehensive approach to organisational learning and training, with consistent approaches to the introduction of new or changes to legislation, to more effectively support delivery of its crime recording strategy. As above. Recommendation 9 and 10 of the National Crime Management Processes relate specifically.

HMICS provided feedback in January 2025: With additional information to support an org learning approach, this recommendation could potentially be discharged. It is clear that (putting to one side the method of training, i.e. Moodle type training) there is work ongoing in relation to organisational understanding of SCRS, which needs to be articulated here, in addition to any evidence that would support org learning in this area (e.g. new Hate Crime legislation).

The initial target for completion was Dec 2022.

R6 - It is recommended that the Police Scotland COS Programme review its approach to business change as part of the implementation of the new single national crime recording system, taking the opportunity to standardise and streamline business, audit and quality assurance processes.
The aforementioned plan seeks to streamline and standardise business processes, which will address identified inconsistencies in approach to crime management.

The initial target for completion was Sept 2022.

Hate Crime 2021

Recommendation Position

R6 – Police Scotland should accelerate its work with partners to improve the Third-Party Reporting arrangements, providing people with the option to report hate crime without speaking directly to the police.
This is the last remaining recommendation from the 2021 Thematic Inspection of Hate Crime.

Police Scotland and Scottish Government will jointly lead work to review existing TPR arrangements. Discussions with all key partners are progressing well towards delivery of a consistent victim centred approach.  Although still at early stages, service design is being progressed to aid future direction.

The initial target for completion was June 2022.