Who We Are

The Scottish Police Authority is independent of both the Scottish Government and policing. It is the primary governance body for policing in Scotland, and was established as a public body on 1 April 2013 by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. It was set up to hold the Chief Constable to account; promote, support and oversee improvement in policing. It is also responsible for the management and delivery of Forensic Services in Scotland and Independent Custody Visiting Scotland.

In this section, find out more about the Authority’s priorities, the Board and the Leadership team.

Who We Are

What We Do

The Scottish Police Authority is responsible for maintaining policing. It has four specific areas of responsibility:

promoting the policing principles

supporting continuous improvement

keeping policing under review

holding the Chief Constable to account.

This section tells you in outline what the Authority does.

What We Do

Published: 02 September 2022

Statement: Vic Emery

Topic:

The SPA are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Vic Emery. Vic was the first Chair of the Scottish Police Authority and he made a significant and lasting contribution in the early years of police reform.

Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this time.

Article initially published 20 December 2021

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Statement: Vic Emery