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

Police Complaints Handling

In this section you can find out about the Dame Elish Angiolini's Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in relation to policing and the recommendations for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

Lady Elish Angiolini's Independent Review

As well as assessing the current framework, Dame Elish's review reported on the effectiveness of structures, operational responsibilities and processes.

Find out more about Lady Elish Angiolini's Full Independent Report (2020)

Authority's Response to Independent Review

The Scottish Police Authority responded to the report at the time, thanking Dame Elish for her work. The Authority believes that a robust, effective and accessible complaint and investigation process is essential if any police service is to earn the trust and confidence of the public it serves.

Find out more about Authority's action in response to Independent Review

Progress against Review Recommendations

The recommendations aim to strengthen public confidence in policing in Scotland, and to ensure that the system is fair, transparent, accountable and proportionate, in order to strengthen public confidence in policing in Scotland.

Find out more about Progress against Review Recommendations

Tell us whether you accept cookies

Police Complaints Handling

Lady Elish Angiolini's Independent Review

Authority's Response to Independent Review

Progress against Review Recommendations