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 June 2023

Police Reform Information Sheet

Category: Corporate Document

Keywords : Police Reform Scotland

Police Reform Information Sheet FINAL (pdf, .54MB )

Report Summary

Briefing document detailing the key benefits of police reform in Scotland after the publication of the strategic view of policing in England and Wales on 8 March 2022.

Related Publications

The documents below are related by Topic and are the most recently published

Transformation High Level Plan - 17 June 2025

Published: 12 June 2025

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FOI 2025/26-022 - Crime statistics

Published: 11 June 2025

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FOI 2025/26-021 - Parking tickets issued by Police Scotland Officers within specific areas - 2023 to date

Published: 11 June 2025

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FOI 2025/26-018 - Police powers to Test Purchase alcohol using underage volunteers

Published: 05 June 2025

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Police Reform Information Sheet

Report Summary

Related Publications

Transformation High Level Plan - 17 June 2025

FOI 2025/26-022 - Crime statistics

FOI 2025/26-021 - Parking tickets issued by Police Scotland Officers within specific areas - 2023 to date

FOI 2025/26-018 - Police powers to Test Purchase alcohol using underage volunteers