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: 25 April 2023

SPA Governance Framework - 23 March 2022

Category: Reports Corporate Document

Commitee: Authority Meetings

REP B 20220316 ITEM 6B SPA Governace Framework (pdf, .46MB )

Report Summary

This report provides members of the Scottish Police Authority with an overview of SPA's Governance Framework

Meeting

The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below

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Meeting of the Scottish Police Authority - 23 March 2022

Date : 23 March 2022

Location : online

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Terms of Reference - ARAC

Published: 06 September 2023

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Terms of Reference - CCC

Published: 06 September 2023

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Terms of Reference - Forensic Services

Published: 06 September 2023

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Terms of Reference - People

Published: 06 September 2023

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Terms of Reference - Resources

Published: 06 September 2023

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SPA Governance Framework - 23 March 2022

Report Summary

Meeting

Meeting of the Scottish Police Authority - 23 March 2022

Related Content

Terms of Reference - ARAC

Terms of Reference - CCC

Terms of Reference - Forensic Services

Terms of Reference - People

Terms of Reference - Resources