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

Chris Creegan

Chris Creegan was appointed to the SPA Board in June 2024. He was Vice Chair of Police Scotland Independent Review Group on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights from 2021 to 2024.

Chris has previously been Chief Executive of the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability from 2013 to 2019 and Chair of the Scottish Association for Mental Health from 2015 to 2022.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce FRSA and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development CIPD.

Register of Interests (last updated October 2024)

Registered Interest	Description of Interest
Remuneration	Part time work for the Health Foundation (self-employed) (the Health Foundation is an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK) Occasional work for the Diffley Partnership (self-employed) (the Diffley Partnership is a research agency) Occasional work for the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) (self- employed) (CCPS is a charitable organisation) Non-executive member (and chair) of the Executive Advisory Body at Social Security Scotland Occasional contributor to BBC Radio Scotland
Other Roles	None
Contracts	None
Election Expenses	None
Houses, Land and Buildings	None relevant
Interests in Shares and Securities	None
Gifts and Hospitality	None
Non-Financial Interests	Chair/Trustee/Director of the Edwin Morgan Trust Vice-chair/Director/Director of Dignity in Dying Member of Scottish Labour Member of the Fabian Society Member of Community (trade union)
Close Family Members	None

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Chris Creegan