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

Sam Curran

Head of Function

Sam Curran was appointed as Head of Function at Forensic Services in May 2024. Previously the Policy Lead at the Scottish Police Authority, Sam had responsibility for developing and overseeing policies and programmes that promote public safety while protecting civil liberties. Prior to this, he was the Senior Manager of International Development at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and led on the development and delivery of the agency's first international strategy. Sam has also worked as a Strategy Consultant specialising in operational risk management and growth strategies.

Sam graduated with a PhD in immunology from the University of Glasgow and a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Edinburgh. He is also a Trustee of the charity I Am Me Scotland.

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Sam Curran