Police

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.

Holyrood’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing has said that current live facial recognition technology is not fit for use by Police Scotland. In a new report published today, it has told Police Scotland that before introducing the technology, it needs to demonstrate the legal basis they would r

Digby Brown has helped secure £100,000 in compensation for a man who was wrongly arrested and sent to prison on remand after being mistaken for someone else. Gary Webb, 60, spent a night in the police cells and three in jail in 2015 even though he showed officers from Police Scotland evid

Local authorities will be legally required to provide an 'appropriate adult' to support people with conditions such as autism during police investigations from today. The level of service for vulnerable victims, witnesses, suspects and accused will be standardised across Scotland and £1 millio

Police Scotland needs £50 million to avoid making 750 officers redundant, MSPs have been told. Audit Scotland said the cash would be required over the next two years as the force tries to balance its books.

Greater clarity is needed around the core functions and finances of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) so that it can build a modern and financially stable police service, the Auditor General has said. A report from the Auditor General highlights some progress over the last year amid a raft of

Policing priorities to ensure the service responds to future demands over the next six years have been published. The revised strategic police priorities (SPPs), which follow consultation over the summer and autumn, reflect developments and progress in police operations and governance.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has announced David Crichton as interim chair of the Scottish Police Authority after accepting the resignation of Professor Susan Deacon. Professor Deacon advised Mr Yousaf of her intention to resign yesterday and he has now informed the Parliament’s Justice Comm

The chair of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has resigned amid an attack on "accountability arrangements" in Police Scotland. Professor Susan Deacon said in her resignation letter to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf that these are "fundamentally flawed".