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

Complaints

Are you dissatisfied with the service you have received from policing in Scotland?

The Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and the Police Investigations and Reviews Commissioner (PIRC) all have a role to play in considering complaints about policing in Scotland.

In this section, find out who to direct your complaint to. We also welcome written communication in Gaelic (see our Gaelic Language Plan).

Complaints

Published: 19 November 2025

Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA) for the SPA Corporate Governance Framework

Category: Corporate Document

Topic: Policy

DOC 20251020 Equality And Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) V1.0 (pdf, .73MB )

Report Summary

This Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA) ensures that equalities and human rights considerations are clearly mainstreamed within the SPA Corporate Governance Framework.

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Authority Benchmarking Review of Audit Scotland Reports - 25 May 2025

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Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA) for the SPA Corporate Governance Framework

Report Summary

Related Publications

SPA Annual Whistleblowing Report - 15 August 2024

Action Log - 25 September 2025

Board Members Allowances and Expenses Policy

Authority Benchmarking Review of Audit Scotland Reports - 25 May 2025