Dear Convener

Audrey Nicoll MSP
Convenor
Criminal Justice Committee
The Scottish Parliament
EDINBURGH
EH99 1SP

23 October 2024

Dear Convenor

Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

The Scottish Police Authority will attend the Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday 30 October 2024 to give evidence as part of its pre-budget scrutiny. This written evidence sets out the context for the policing budget and the challenges and requirements for the years ahead. This information aims to support Committee Members’ questioning on the day.

Context

Since 2012, policing has delivered one of the most extensive and successful structural public sector reform programmes in Scotland. Establishing a single national service in Scotland saw the biggest change in policing and the oversight of policing across the whole of the UK in decades.

Prior to this reform, Scotland’s policing services were delivered by eight regional organisations and two national bodies.

This police reform journey has delivered £200 million per year of budgetary savings through efficiencies – a significant saving to taxpayers. Reform has not been without challenge, and further change is required in the period ahead. Notwithstanding this, I look back with conviction and confidence that Police Scotland and Forensic Services are delivering a service better than anything that preceded them.

Establishing and embedding the single service model provides the foundations for our reform and improvement journey to continue. The second phase of police reform is now underway which aims to ensure policing continues to deliver an effective service for the future.

The pressures on policing have changed dramatically over the last decade. Crime in the public space has reduced while cyber enabled crime and fraud has grown. With increasing complexity and vulnerability, policing has proven time and time again that it can adapt and change to keep up. However, the policing budget plays a key part in the pace of change and the financial constraints have made the pace slower than we need.

The Authority fully supports Police Scotland’s efforts, under the direction of Chief Constable Jo Farrell, to take forward further service led reform. In September 2024, the Chief Constable set out a clear vision, with priorities and workforce modernisation that includes strengthening the frontline of policing. This has been considered in detail and fully supported by the Authority. This vision and plan explain how Police Scotland will continue to adapt and change to deliver efficient, effective and sustainable policing services to the public.  

The priorities for Police Scotland in the years ahead have been developed to be delivered by a workforce of circa 22,000. This incorporates funding for an officer establishment of up to 16,600 police officers. The Authority therefore expects the policing workforce to be modernised and the mix between officers and staff enhanced in support of frontline policing.

There will always be an element of uncertainty and unpredictability in policing. In recent years the covid pandemic, legislative change and major events have placed unprecedented demands on the service. Growing demand from non-crime related calls for service related to mental health, distress and vulnerability continue to place significant pressure on the service. The Authority supports efforts by policing to engage and work with partners to identify more effective and efficient solutions to this demand. The Chief Constable has set out her support for further public sector reform, including the criminal justice system, where circa 500 officers a day are being called to attend court.