Police

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".

Specialist law firm Cycle Law Scotland is working with Police Scotland as part of a national road safety campaign to highlight the importance of all road users being seen during the winter months. The #LightUp campaign will see cyclists being given a pack of front and rear bicycle lights to ens

A new report from MSPs on the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing looking at police capital spending has concluded that an above inflation increase is vital to allow officers to operate efficiently. Key findings from the report, which will form an annexe of the main Justice Committee’s pre-budge

Solicitor Aamer Anwar has criticised police for failing to crack down on Italian football fans making fascist salutes on the streets of Glasgow. Footage of dozens of Lazio fans making the raised-hand salute while parading down Buchanan Street went viral on social media ahead of their game against Ce

New powers of entry and search for police to apprehend a person unlawfully at large from a home detention curfew (HDC) have come into force. A new offence of remaining unlawfully at large has also been introduced through the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019, which was passed by the S

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is based on a sound model of governance but continues to face challenges in fulfilling its core statutory role, a watchdog has found. In a new report, the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) noted there has been genuine progress at the SPA over the

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have renewed demands for a full police staff survey after a new report revealed the number of officers receiving specialist trauma support for PTSD has more than doubled in the last three years. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) report on wellbeing also reveals

A new forum is being created to oversee and scrutinise railway policing in Scotland. The Scottish Railways Policing Committee, agreed by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA), aims to improve accountability and facilitate a stronger role for the SPA in

A rule mandating that police officers have degrees could remove 4,000 recruits from the front line, one force has claimed as it seeks judicial review of the policy. Lincolnshire Police is challenging the College of Policing’s demand that new recruits have a degree, three-year apprenticeship or

Changes to Police Scotland’s stop and search policy have made it a leader in European law enforcement, according to a University of Dundee lecturer. Dr Megan O’Neill says that revisions to the controversial procedure have helped to make the actions of officers more effective in tackling

The use of armed officers in more than 5,000 routine incidents last year has been defended by ministers. Community Safety Minister Ash Denham said that allowing armed officers to attend routine calls was “sensible use of police time”.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have questioned Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf about a report from the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), in which the union described some buildings in the police estate as being “unfit for human habitation”. The report found a number of problems, incl

The Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has proposed legislative amendments to strengthen the organisation’s ability to carry out its key functions: to investigate serious incidents involving the police and to review how the police handle complaints made about them. In its s

A police watchdog has recommended that Police Scotland ensures all officers undertaking or commanding firearms operations are reminded of the legal basis for their powers, and of the need to explain and justify using such powers on an emergency basis following an incident with a man wielding a