Police

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.

The Justice Sub-Committee on Policing has issued a call for views on the report by Dame Elish Angiolini on police complaints handling.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has improved how it operates but policing in Scotland is not financially sustainable, says the Auditor General for Scotland. Leadership of the SPA and Police Scotland has stabilised, and the authority has made progress in financial planning and management, as well

Undercover police and MI5 agents will be given explicit permission in law to commit criminal offences under new legislation introduced by the UK government. The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Bill has been introduced to provide a "clear and consistent statutory basis for a limited number o

A device used by police to conduct checks, record details and share information has saved officers thousands of hours of time, The Courier reports. Launched last year in Tayside before being rolled out across Scotland, the mobile devices have saved an estimated 400,000 hours of work time.

Police Scotland has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over the use of breath tests during the pandemic. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said in a letter to the HSE that it was concerned for officers' safety while conducting drink drive tests.

Police have increased their use of stop and search following a rethink of the policy, The Times reports. The number of stop and searches rose by 25 per cent last year, resulting in a jump in knife and drug seizures.