Report detail

STRATEGIC PLANNING CONTEXT

The current Strategic Police Plan (SPP) was published in May 2023, following a period of review and refresh during 2022/23, and following the 2023 Scottish Government review of the Strategic Police Priorities, first published in 2019. This 2023-2026 plan continues our outcome focused strategic direction for policing in Scotland.

There is a statutory requirement that the Plan is reviewed within 3 years of its approval, and must, in particular, do so where the Scottish Government has made any significant revisions to the strategic police priorities.

In the 2023 refresh of the Strategic Police Priorities, Scottish Government(SG) stated that it was expected the priorities would remain in place for a period of three years ahead of the next full consultation due to take place in 2025. Subsequently SG colleagues have now confirmed that they will not revise the Strategic Police Priorities in advance of the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Elections. Although the priorities will not be reviewed this year, there is still a requirement for the Authority to initiate a review of the Plan in 2025/26 as set out in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and this is seen as an opportunity to improve the existing plan.

REVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC POLICE PLAN 2023 -26

This refresh of the current SPP provides an opportunity to improve alignment across the policing strategic planning landscape, connecting and mapping commitments made in constituent parts of the policing system, to provide a focused and streamlined strategic direction. Since the last SPP was published in 2023 the Police Scotland Vision 2030 and SPA Forensic Services Strategy 2025 have been published.

The refreshed strategic policing plan will essentially act as a ‘golden keystone’ in the strategic planning landscape, connecting the planned priorities and delivery plans of the constituent parts of the policing system in Scotland, and aligning these to the Ministerial Strategic Police Priorities, last set in 2019.

The core of the SPP model will remain, with five strategic outcomes covering crime and public safety, service delivery, partnership working, a positive workplace, and sustainability, as well as alignment to the Scottish Government developed strategic policing priorities.

The refresh allows the continuous improvement and enhancement of the SPP from a document focused almost exclusively on Police Scotland to one which sets a strategic direction for the policing system. Outcomes have been refreshed and simplified to overarch but also join and align the outcomes and objectives described in the Police Scotland Vision 2030, Forensic Services Strategy 2025 and the SPA Corporate Strategy.

The intention was to develop a strategic outcome level, streamlined, document for a range of audiences, which is clear on the what policing is aiming to deliver without being prescriptive or overly detailed on the how. This delivery and implementation detail sits in, and is reported through, existing organisational level strategies and plans.

Gap Analysis

To support the focus on aligning existing commitments and recognised priority areas, a gap analysis has been undertaken across the Police Scotland Vision 2030, Forensic Services Strategy 2025 and the SPA Corporate Strategy.

From the gap analysis we identified that the existing language does not reflect the current position and future ambition around key priority areas such as culture and anti-discriminatory practice, trauma informed policing, support to victims, workplace-based trauma, frontline community policing or the need for a whole systems approach. The refresh allows these key policy and priority areas to be incorporated with no change in strategic direction.

STRATEGIC STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK

In accordance with Section 34 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 the Authority sought feedback from key strategic stakeholders in developing the draft Strategic Policing Plan for wider public, community and partnership engagement.

A summary of the approach, and proposed outcomes with supporting delivery principles, was shared with strategic stakeholders, including Scottish Government, HMICS, Audit Scotland, COSLA and Local Authorities. Responses received were supportive of the overall direction with some specific suggestions made, which have been reflected in the consultation draft of the SPP appended to this paper. (Appendix A).

Stakeholders welcomed the focus on the whole system and the recognition of need for partnership and collaboration to effectively improve outcomes for people, places and communities of Scotland.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION EXERCISE

Before finalising the Strategic Policing Plan for Scotland 2026, a public consultation exercise will be undertaken using the Authority’s citizen space engagement platform.

This exercise will seek views on the proposed outcomes and delivery principles described within the Strategic Policing Plan, and any areas which respondents feel are missing or require a different emphasis.

The public consultation exercise will run for a period of eight weeks, advertised through websites and social media channels of the Authority and with cascade support from Police Scotland and wider stakeholders to ensure the widest possible reach.

The final Strategic Policing Plan 2026 will be revised to reflect feedback from the public consultation exercise before being presented to the Authority for final approval in February 2026.