Strategic Engagement

Association of Scottish Police Superintendents conference
This week, I will address delegates at the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents annual conference.

As part of the session, I will join a question and answer panel with Cabinet Secretary for Justice Angela Constance MSP, ASPS President Chief Superintendent Rob Hay and HMICS Assistant Inspector Brian McInulty.

Our Superintending ranks are essential police leaders, playing key roles in delivering on the ambitions of our vision for safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce.

The conference, is an important opportunity to thank them for their contribution to policing in Scotland.

Investigatory Powers Commissioner
On Thursday, 15 May, I met with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC), the Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson, at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan.

The role of the IPC was created in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and came into full operation in November 2017 with the responsibility for reviewing the use of investigatory powers by public authorities, including Police Scotland.

The IPC and his office are a robust element of the broad scrutiny and governance arrangements which Police Scotland is subject to, and this was an important opportunity to discuss shared priorities and the evolving challenges around the use of investigatory powers. The Commissioner also provided insights from recent IPCO inspections, including discussions on thematic warrants and renewal applications.

Criminal Justice Committee cybercrime evidence session
On Wednesday 14 May, Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston took part in a roundtable evidence session on cybercrime with the National Crime Agency and the Criminal Justice Committee.

We continue to enhance our response to fraud and cybercrime, which continues to increase exponentially, almost doubling year on year.

In April, we established a specialist Cyber and Fraud Unit (CAFU) which will work alongside UK law enforcement and other agencies to tackle the growing demand of online crime in Scotland. It brings together around 260 specially trained police officers and staff from Cybercrime and the Serious Organised Crime Financial Investigation Unit, alongside officers and staff from the Cyber Harm Prevention Team, Policing in a Digital World Programme and Digital Forensics.

The new unit aims to enhance police response to fraud and cybercrime and better support victims through improved investigations, bespoke training for officers and staff and the latest technology. As a result, more than 500 officers have completed new cryptocurrency and dark web training in the West and this training will be pushed into the North and East regions next month.

Live Facial Recognition event
Our National Conversation on Live Facial Recognition conference, held with the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, in Edinburgh on 16 May highlighted the value the use of LFR can bring to policing and the underlying concerns people have of how it could be used.

The event brought together academics, Police Scotland officers and staff led by Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, and broader policing colleagues, and human rights advocates, to discuss possibilities, concerns and potential solutions.

The outcomes from the national conversation and survey will be more fully detailed next month, along with our proposals for next steps.

Our commitment to listening, to carefully considering the implications of introducing LFR both legally and for our communities will remain at the forefront of the decision we may make.

Royal Company of Merchants of The City of Edinburgh
On Wednesday, 7 May, 2025, I addressed the Royal Company of Merchants of The City of Edinburgh, a charitable organisation for business and professional people dedicated to supporting the young and the elderly.

This was a positive engagement where I outlined policing reform in Scotland, the strengths of Police Scotland, and some key work in delivering our vision.

I was grateful to be invited to address the company by The Master, and former Scottish Police Authority Board member, Grant Macrae.

Best value audit
As previously reported, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) and Audit Scotland are conducting a best value audit of policing in Scotland.

Best value is about ensuring that there is good governance and effective management of resources, with a focus on improvement, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the public.

On Friday, 9 May, HMICS and Audit Scotland published the audit scope, which outlines that the audit will assess how effectively the best value arrangements in the Authority (including Forensic Services) and Police Scotland are demonstrating continuous improvement in delivering the strategic policing priorities and overall vision, and transformation of policing services. The scope indicates that HMICS and Audit Scotland intend to publish the audit in early 2026.

As part of our response, we have undertaken a detailed self-assessment and submitted to auditors, and arrangements are in place to facilitate the audit.

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
On Friday, 16 May, I welcomed the Rt Hon Lady Elish Angiolini, as His Majesty The King’s Lord High Commissioner, to Edinburgh, as part of the Ceremony of the Keys ahead of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, held from Saturday, 17 May to Thursday, 22 May 2025, at the Assembly Hall on the Mound, Edinburgh.