Police

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner has launched an investigation into Police Scotland’s use of force against children. Data from the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) shows that children in Scotland are more than twice as likely to experience use of force by the police than adult

The Scottish government must listen to the needs of police officers and staff as new figures revealed that officer numbers have dropped by over 1,000 since Police Scotland was formed, the Lib Dems have said. As at the end of June this year, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers fe

Rogue police officers should be subject to criminal proceedings, a watchdog has said. The chief inspector of constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor, has given his backing to legislation to enact the change.

The UK's most notorious cold cases could be solved using AI. Police chiefs think that cloud-based software Söze could be fed huge quantities of information to help detectives crack unsolved cases.

Every community in Scotland is to have local police officers, the chief constable has promised. Jo Farrell outlined the plan as part of her vision for 2030 in which she detailed ambitions for safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a “thriving workforce”.

More than a million calls to Police Scotland’s 101 crime hotline have been ignored over the past two years, new figures show. The number is used as an alternative to 999 for the public to report crimes including antisocial behaviour, assaults and vandalism.

Police officers' time is being wasted in court, Chief Constable Jo Farrell has said. Appearing before Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee yesterday, she said that as many as 500 officers are taken away from their duties every day to appear in court, with most not even giving evidence.

The number of full-time police officers in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level since 2007. Data from Scotland's chief statistician show that there were 16,207 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers on June 30, a decline of 148 since March 31.

Millions of pounds are being wasted on unnecessary court appearances by police officers as it emerged that in one case they were summoned to give evidence against a dead man. The Scottish Police Federation said that 750 officers in northern Scotland have been cited since January, yet only 26 gave ev

A £33 million Scottish government initiative for sharing digital evidence from crime scene to court room is being rolled out across Scotland. Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) allows police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges to access a secure, unified syst

A Police Scotland database contains the names of more than 500,000 people despite the fact many have never committed a crime, prompting calls for a review. Solicitor Aamer Anwar said that Chief Constable Jo Farrell should explain why so many names are on the database.

Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee has backed the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill at stage one, but expressed concerns over whether its reforms will sufficiently improve the police complaints system. The committee’s report said the introduction of a statutory code

Police Scotland has agreed a national contract to implement body worn video for frontline officers and staff across Scotland over the next three years. Motorola was successful in securing the £13.3 million contract, which entails the purchase of 10,500, Home Office-approved VB400 cameras and s

The complete failure of Police Scotland to perform its role led to a young woman being trapped in a car with her dead partner for days before she too died, a fatal accident inquiry that has taken nine years has found. Lamara bell, 25, lay severely injured but conscious at the bottom of an embankment

Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell has criticised the court system as she confirmed plans to reduce resources spent on 101 calls across Scotland. She said the "judicial system" was “very inefficient” compared to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) south of the border, with overti