Who We Are

The Scottish Police Authority is independent of both the Scottish Government and policing. It is the primary governance body for policing in Scotland, and was established as a public body on 1 April 2013 by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. It was set up to hold the Chief Constable to account; promote, support and oversee improvement in policing. It is also responsible for the management and delivery of Forensic Services in Scotland and Independent Custody Visiting Scotland.

In this section, find out more about the Authority’s priorities, the Board and the Leadership team.

Who We Are

What We Do

The Scottish Police Authority is responsible for maintaining policing. It has four specific areas of responsibility:

promoting the policing principles

supporting continuous improvement

keeping policing under review

holding the Chief Constable to account.

This section tells you in outline what the Authority does.

What We Do

Published: 19 June 2023

Police Reform Information Sheet

Category: Corporate Document

Keywords : Police Reform Scotland

Police Reform Information Sheet FINAL (pdf, .54MB )

Report Summary

Briefing document detailing the key benefits of police reform in Scotland after the publication of the strategic view of policing in England and Wales on 8 March 2022.

Related Publications

The documents below are related by Topic and are the most recently published

Green icon with 2 arrows moving in different horizontal directions.

FOI 2024/25-034 - Estates Strategy island impact assessment

Published: 28 June 2024

View Publication

FOI 2024/25-036 - Spend on small arms ammunition and contracts awarded

Published: 28 June 2024

View Publication

Gaelic Language Plan - Annual Return Form 2023-2024

Published: 24 June 2024

View Publication

FOI Annual Summary 2023-2024

Published: 24 June 2024

View Publication

Back to all documents

Tell us whether you accept cookies

Police Reform Information Sheet

Report Summary

Related Publications

FOI 2024/25-034 - Estates Strategy island impact assessment

FOI 2024/25-036 - Spend on small arms ammunition and contracts awarded

Gaelic Language Plan - Annual Return Form 2023-2024

FOI Annual Summary 2023-2024