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

Complaints

Are you dissatisfied with the service you have received from policing in Scotland?

The Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and the Police Investigations and Reviews Commissioner (PIRC) all have a role to play in considering complaints about policing in Scotland.

In this section, find out who to direct your complaint to. We also welcome written communication in Gaelic (see our Gaelic Language Plan).

Complaints

Published: 02 August 2023

SPA Analysis: State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2022, HMICFRS, 9th June 2023

Monthly Digest July 23 Inspections Thematic (pdf, .71MB )

Report Summary

HMICFRS recently published an annual assessment of policing in England and Wales, with this report noting findings and recommendations relevant to Scotland, as well as an outline of related oversight provided by the Authority.

You can read the original report from HMICFRS.

External Sources

NPCC - Response to HMICFRS State of Policing 2022 report – 9th June 2023

APCC – APCC response to HMICFRS State of Policing report 2022 – 9th June 2023

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SPA Analysis: State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2022, HMICFRS, 9th June 2023

Report Summary

External Sources

Related Content

Stop & Search Performance Update - 15 June 2023

Professional Boundaries – Progression of Recommendation - 15 November 2022

Year End Wellbeing Report (2021-22) - 1 June 2022

Mental Health, Vulnerability and Policing

HMICS Thematic Inspection of Hate Crime – Police Scotland Improvement Update - 16 March 2023

Community Confidence Action Research