Vetting Overview

The intrusive nature of vetting is recognised, Police Scotland continues to invest in training to ensure cultural and diversity awareness, and that Vetting Officers are supported to assess applicant circumstances sensitively and on an individual basis, professionally and without judgement. The most recent training being attended is the organisational Anti-Racism training delivered via Partnerships, Preventions and Community Wellbeing as well as Neuro-diversity awareness raising sessions delivered both internally and via College of Policing.

Police Scotland’s vetting application forms do not currently request protected characteristic or diversity data as it is not considered relevant to vetting decision making or risk assessment. As part of the continuous improvement programme in respect of vetting and in support of protected characteristic monitoring, engagement has been undertaken with College of Policing to inform the development of a new Police Scotland vetting form, and it is anticipated that upon introduction of the new vetting form provision will be made for diversity questions posed to applicants for monitoring purposes.

The following tables provide data to inform members regarding the number of vetting applicants that have been refused vetting, and their gender and ethnicity, between 01 April 2024 and 31 July 2025.

Applicants subject to a refusal decision can access an appeals process, where the vetting application and information gathered during the appeal process is reviewed in its entirety by an independent senior member of the Force Vetting Unit who has had no involvement in the prior refusal decision.

Additional detail has been sought via Police Scotland Recruitment Department to understand the current pipeline of applicants and how many applicants identify as minority ethnic. The “pipeline” covers individuals from application stage through to offer of appointment. As at 11 August 2025, 8.6% of applicants identify as minority ethnic, with 3.8% of those identifying as BME and 4.8% as WME.

The 2011 Census found that 96% of Scotland’s population identified as White. The population in Asian, African, Caribbean or Black, Mixed or Other ethnic groups was 4% and African Caribbean or Black, Mixed or Other ethnic groups was 1%. The 2022 Census overview of Scotland’s ethnic diversity outlines that 87.1% of Scotland’s population identified as Scottish/Other White British and 5.8% attributed to White minority ethnic groups, 4% Asian minority groups, 1.2% Black minority groups and 1.1% mixed/multiple ethnicity groups.

Although this data continues to suggest a lack of diverse candidates within Scotland, it is recognised that the role of a warranted Police Officer is regulated and carries specific eligibility criteria such as age, residency, requirement for UK drivers’ licence which can also impact on BME and WME applicants.

Alongside Recruitment Department, the Force Vetting Unit continues to monitor these statistics, seeking opportunities to enhance our approach and review and keep abreast of the progress made by College of Policing.