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: 07 August 2024

Privacy Notice for Contractors

Category: Corporate Document

Pol 20240715 Privacy Notice For Contractors V2.0 (pdf, .15MB )

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The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Notice will tell you how we use your personal data when you visit our website or contact us in any other way and will tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

Related Publications

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

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FOI 2025/26-063 - Complaints received by the Authority where Police Scotland is the responsible authority

Published: 15 September 2025

View Publication

FOI 2025/26-059 - Oversight of enforcement infrastructure, private session transparency and legal status of the Authority

Published: 15 September 2025

View Publication

FOI 2025/26-062 - Misconduct hearings chaired by named officer resulting in Police Appeals Tribunals

Published: 12 September 2025

View Publication

FOI 2025/26-050 - Donald Trump's visit to Scotland in July 2025

Published: 09 September 2025

View Publication

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Privacy Notice for Contractors

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Related Publications

FOI 2025/26-063 - Complaints received by the Authority where Police Scotland is the responsible authority

FOI 2025/26-059 - Oversight of enforcement infrastructure, private session transparency and legal status of the Authority

FOI 2025/26-062 - Misconduct hearings chaired by named officer resulting in Police Appeals Tribunals

FOI 2025/26-050 - Donald Trump's visit to Scotland in July 2025