(8 June 2026) COSLA has published its final Manifesto White Paper, “Strengthening Local Delivery to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women and Girls”, warning that Scotland risks falling short of its commitment to tackle violence against women and girls unless national ambition is matched by sustainable local funding and practical reform that supports delivery in communities.

(3 June 2026) Scotland’s Chief constable Jo Farrell has outlined a vision for a fully digitised justice system following the national rollout of body-worn video cameras for frontline police officers.

(1 June 2026) Ministers are being urged to consider introducing ‘primary legislation’ governing the use of controversial live facial recognition (LFR) technology in Scotland.

(22 May 2026) Youth justice reform. Expansion of Parenting Orders, incl increased use of existing fines and the prospect of imprisonment for parents whose children reoffend - risks overshadowing broader sustance of the Paper. The focus on Parenting Orders as the primary mechanism raises questions. The use of these orders must be proportionate, and critically, it must not have the effect of removing a caregiver from a child's life. The White Paper commits to cutting custodial remand by 25% and reducing the overall youth custodial population by 20%. The focus on reducing custody is therefore right, but must be paired with community sentences and evidence-based interventions.

(22 May 2026) The National Police Chiefs' Council and the National Crime Agency are unequivocal in their view that the online environment, as it currently exists, is not safe for children under 16. They are calling for restrictions on under-16s' access to online platforms whose design features enable criminals to harm children. This means not just social media, but gaming apps, messaging apps and AI chatbots too; any platform with features that offenders exploit.

(21 May 2026) HMICS and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) carried out a joint inspection of police custody centre at St Leonards Police Station, Edinburgh. Staff here described it as 'significantly understaffed' and told inspectors that gaps in staffing levels meant care provided to detainees was not to the standard they would like to see. Compromised the completion of routine tasks incl. the provision of showers and time spent with detainees. Local officers said there were rarely enough staff available. Commonly resulted in queues of arresting officers with their detainees = delays in returning to frontline policing. Said current national custody staff model used by PS did not meet needs of such a busy custody centre. Staff reported limited ability to take breaks. Sickness absence, delays in body armour provision restricted deployment of new members. Limited management visibility. However, found that child detainees were managed appropriately. But there were issues with recording info on National Custody System. Care plans and handovers found to routinely lack case-specific details. Physical condition of the custody cells was good, but they identified safety and ops concerns related to the recent addition of a new detainee holding room. Narrow layout often resulted in congestion when accommodating multiple detainees and their escorting officers.

(20 May 2026) A record number of referrals from police forces – and a big increase in the number of independent investigations taken on by the police watchdog. End-of-year data shows the IOPC received 7,088 referrals in 2025-26 – the most over a 12-month period since IOPC’s inception – and completed more than 7,000 referrals for the first time in our history. During the same period, we took 316 independent investigations which is an increase of 31 per cent on the number (241) we started in 2024-25. includes 134 investigations into allegations of police misconduct, 81 in cases where someone has died or been seriously injured (DSI) following police contact, and 101 triggered by complaints.

(19 May 2026) The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for leading, supporting and co‑ordinating the UK’s response to serious and organised crime (SOC). This report presents the findings of our first organisation-wide inspection of the NCA since it was established in 2013.

(18 May 2026) Introduction of legislation that will usher in the Government’s plans for far-reaching reform of policing in England and Wales. Much of the focus will be on structural change and new powers, but one of the most significant shifts is already underway: a new system for monitoring police performance and identifying earlier where improvement is needed. A new Police Standards and Performance Improvement Unit has been created within the Home Office, alongside a national performance framework. Under the new system, each force will be assessed and assigned to a performance level. This will indicate both the degree of improvement needed and the level of support available. A new performance dashboard will allow forces and local policing bodies to compare performance, and importantly, the public will also be able to see how their force is doing.

(18 May 2026) These guidelines provide police officers with instructions on the use and submission to the Procurator Fiscal of body worn video (BWV) evidence.

(14 May 2026) A blog by Ian Hulme, ICO Interim Executive Director for Regulatory Supervision.

(12 May 2026) A major new research report, Lights Under a Bushel? Visibility Research for Police Scotland, has highlighted the changing nature of police visibility and the growing importance of how communities experience policing in both physical and digital spaces. Published by Professor Karen McArdle (University of Aberdeen), Kirsty Forrester (Dundee City Council), and Dr Alan Mackie (University of Dundee), the study draws on evidence from ten focus groups involving 95 participants across Fife, Tayside and Angus, capturing the views of people from a wide range of backgrounds.

(8 May 2026) The Scottish Police Authority's annual audit plan for 2025/26.

(28 April 2026) The Scrutiny Plan provides a proportionate and realistic balance between the scope of the scrutiny activity aimed to undertake and the capacity of this small, specialist inspectorate. Joint Custody Inspection activity continued throughout 2025 - highlighted recurring issues previously identified elsewhere in Scotland, underscoring the need for sustainable and system-wide improvement. Frontline Focus review of Tools of the Trade examined how well frontline officers and staff are equipped and supported to perform their duties - generated meaningful engagement on practical frontline issues that directly affect service delivery and gained media attention. Police Response to Drug Harm Reduction assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of the service's strategic and operational approach to harm reduction - strong partnership work. Joint Best Value Audit of Policing in Scotland - found policing to be well-led and generally well-managed while identifying areas where reform and improved use of resources remain necessary. Progressing a number of significant areas of work for 2026/27 - Assurance Review of Conduct and Discipline, National Review of Group-Based Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Commonwealth Games. Crime Audit, Violence - Including VAWG.

(27 April 2026) This report is part of the programme of inspections of Court Custody Provision carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS).