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: 21 July 2025

PEEL Practice Compendium - July 2025 Update

Category: Corporate Document

Topic: Policy Research

Commitee: Policing Performance Committee

DOC 20250721 PEEL Report Compendium 2021 22 + 2023 25 V1.6 (pdf, 1.17MB )

Report Summary

An update to the PEEL Practice Compendium published in July 2025, detailing innovative policing practice in forces in England and Wales as outlined by HMICFRS.

PEEL Practice Compendium - February 2025 Update

Published: 17 March 2025

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PEEL Practice Compendium – February 2025 Update

Published: 19 February 2025

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PEEL Practice Compendium - 20 November 2024

Published: 17 March 2025

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