Police

A police officer who sent sexually explicit messages to crime victims he met while on duty has been jailed. David Taylor admitted three charges of sending indecent communications and one charge of stalking at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last month.

Police Scotland has been urged by a watchdog to take a "strong and bold" position on equality and diversity. The recommendation follows a survey of officers past and present which found that 41 per cent had experienced discrimination or harassment while in the force.

Nearly 250 complaints of sexual misconduct were made against serving Scottish police officers in the past four years, with none dismissed as a result, new figures show. Data obtained through freedom of information legislation by Channel 4's Dispatches shows that 166 police officers and special const

Police Scotland is introducing an officer verification process to provide reassurance to any member of the public who may be concerned about whether or not they are being spoken to by a genuine police officer working alone. The move follows the "understandable public concern surrounding the horrendo

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today warned that Police Scotland must be transformed into a 21st century police force after new figures revealed that recorded cyber-crime doubled in the past twelve months. In 2020-21, an estimated 14,130 cyber-crimes were record

Members of Edinburgh Law School's Understanding Inequalities project have published two new high profile reports. The first report, authored by Professor Susan McVie, details data on the number of charges reported by Police Scotland under the Coronavirus Regulations between March 2020 and June 2021

Traffic police in Scotland are catching as many drivers on drugs as those who are drunk, new figures show. Specialist road officers are catching 40 to 50 motorists a week who have taken narcotics. The figures come after roadside tests were brought in two years ago. Drug wipes are used to detect drug

The publication of a review into how the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service manages criminal allegations against the police has been welcomed by the Lord Advocate. The report, which was compiled by HM Inspectorate of Prosecutions in Scotland, identified that the public should be reassured by

The Metropolitan Police could adopt a gender-neutral uniform for all police officers following a consultation of officers. The UK's largest police force – with nearly twice as many officers as Police Scotland – said it would consult staff ahead of the contract with its current uniform pr

Former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has called on Police Scotland to cease all involvement in training police in Sri Lanka following concerns about human rights abuses. Mr MacAskill's intervention comes after Human Rights Watch, Freedom from Torture, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice

Police have been "fair and proportionate" in their enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions, according to new research published by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). The independent advisory group chaired by John Scott QC has published a major 141-page report into police use of Covid-19 powers ahead

Old police stations number among 100 properties sold by Police Scotland that have netted the single force more than £28 million since 2013. The former Strathclyde Police headquarters at 173 Pitt Street, Glasgow, was the most lucrative, selling for £9.6m in 2018. The police training schoo

Hate crimes recorded against the police have risen over the past three years and comprise up to half of such charges in some areas, the Law Society Gazette reports. Fifty-three per cent of all cases dealt with by North Yorkshire Police in 2019/20 included a victim who was a police employee or office

The Scottish Police Authority will receive an additional £10 million to invest in modernisation of the police fleet. The funding will enable the purchase of around 235 new ultra-low emission vehicles by Police Scotland and will also help support the replacement of 140 existing petrol

The terms of reference for an inspection into how the Crown Office handles criminal complaints made against the police have been published. In 2019-20, there were 286 criminal allegations made against the police.