Supporting Vulnerable People

A key pillar of the Police Scotland 2030 vision is ‘supported victims’. This underpins the ambitions and priorities of the Vision for Justice in Scotland. It sets out to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported, with Police Scotland’s service tailored to victim needs through a trauma-informed approach.

Police Scotland co-ordinates the delivery of trauma-informed practice in collaboration with partners to enhance approaches and mental health awareness. This ensures that officers and staff are confident, trained and empowered.

Details of other partners that Police Scotland work with to support vulnerable people are available on the Police Scotland website.

Following a successful trial in Lothians and Scottish Borders (see page 9), Police Scotland is rolling out ‘Act Don’t React’ training across Scotland. This is a training programme that enables officers to understand human behaviour, and what drives and triggers it. They are shown how they can use the training to positively influence other people’s behaviour, as well as their own.

Police officers who attend incidents can provide victims with a ‘Your Care Card’. These cards give contact details for the attending officer and provides victims with information about their rights, including their right to support. These cards have been designed to be accessible and person-centred. The ‘Your Care Card’ also includes a QR code that links to further information and support on the Police Scotland website.

Police Scotland also works closely with Victim Support Scotland. Victim Support Scotland is a national independent charity that supports over 37,000 victims and witnesses of crime annually with access to vital support services. This also includes supporting people to give evidence in court and referring them to other support services.

With support from Victim Support Scotland, vulnerable witnesses, both adult and child, can provide evidence to court by live TV link from outside the court building in dedicated evidence suites. Vulnerable witnesses can include complainers in domestic abuse, stalking and sexual offence
cases.

From 2019 to 2022, Police Scotland piloted a Visual Recorded Interviews (VRIs) scheme to support vulnerable
adult complainers of rape or attempted rape in three area divisions (Highland and Islands, Dumfries and Galloway, and Edinburgh). Over the course of the pilot, 302 VRIs were carried out in respect of 258 cases. 74 were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

Trauma-informed policing is an important part of Police Scotland’s violence against women and girls (VAWG)
strategy. This prioritises the needs and safety of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

An update on implementation of the strategy was presented to committee in September 2024, highlighting work with key partners to improve the victim journey throughout the criminal justice process.

Police Scotland is a key partner in the Trauma Informed workstream of the Scottish Government’s Victims’ Task Force. The taskforce is working together to create and deliver a plan to embed trauma-informed practice as part of the wider delivery plan for the justice sector and in line with NHS Education Scotland’s National Trauma Transformation Programme (NTTP).

Trauma-informed policing also features in Police Scotland’s three-year business plan. This includes using technology to ensure victims and witnesses receive support, and adopting a person-centred tailored approach, including supporting the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to pilot dedicated and trauma-informed domestic abuse courts.