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Published: 19 April 2023

SPA Business Plan 2022-23

Report Summary

The Business Plan 2022-23 underpins the 3-year Corporate Plan and sets out the Authority's priorities for the year and explains how the Authority will measure its performance.


Main Functions

Promoting the policing principles

The Authority keeps the policing principles at the forefront of its activities and decision-making, taking into account how they are applied in policing.

Maintaining the Police Service

The Authority is funded directly by the Scottish Government through Grant in Aid and the Authority allocates funding to maintain the police service. Additional money is available through a Reform fund allocated by the Scottish Government. From within our available budget allocation we must provide the Chief Constable with financial resources to ensure that an appropriately resourced workforce is in place and paid to deliver policing services. We must also ensure that buildings, vehicles and technology systems are maintained. We also allocate funding to Forensic Services and support the Authority’s executive staff team and Board.

Promoting and supporting continuous improvement

The Authority places a high level of importance on continuous improvement, promoting and supporting self-assessment activity and benchmarking against other organisations to identify areas where policing could be improved.

Keeping policing under review

The Authority regularly assesses policing performance, listening to what the public and our partners are saying about policing, and works in partnership with Police Scotland to prepare a joint strategic police plan. The Authority also publishes an annual assessment of policing performance, which includes analysis and opinion from across the policing system, local authorities
and other assurance bodies.

Holding the Chief Constable to account

The Chief Constable is accountable to the Authority for the policing of Scotland. The Authority holds the Chief Constable to account and seeks assurance, through our Board and Committee meetings, on how Scotland is being policed in line with its strategic priorities and organisational values. We also scrutinise proposed policing policy changes from the perspective of best value, human rights, ethics, equality and diversity.


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SPA Corporate Strategy 2023-26

Published: 18 April 2023