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: 15 March 2024

SPA Whistleblowing Policy

Category: Corporate Document

Topic: Workforce

Commitee: Audit Risk and Assurance Committee People Committee

Keywords : whistleblowing

SPA Whistleblowing Policy (pdf, .45MB )

Report Summary

This SPA Whistleblowing Policy sets out key principles supported by
procedures outlining how concerns can be raised and how they should be
handled.

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SPA Whistleblowing Policy

Report Summary

Related Publications

FOI 2025/26-068 - Deep dive into Sex Equality and Tackling Misogyny and Violence Against Women and Girls

FOI 2025/26-067 - Grievance procedure and occupation health service provider for police officers

Police Scotland Vetting Annual Report - 4 September 2025

FOI 2025/26-047 - Staff permitted to work outside UK