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

Violence Against Women and Girls

Police Scotland is committed to creating a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment.

On this page you can find out more about the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and the Scottish Police Authority's oversight of progress.

Image of Board Member Alasdair Hay standing outside of an office building.

Supporting Police Scotland's approach

Alasdair Hay, Chair of the Authority's Policing Performance Committee, has outlined the Authority's support for Police Scotland's strategy. The approach aims to meet the needs of victims and survivors, and reflect the unique role policing has in tackling this issue.

Find out more about Alasdair Hay, SPA: Violence against Women and Girls Strategy

Oversight and Progress

The Authority closely monitor's Police Scotland's progress against its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Progress is monitored quarterly by the Policing Performance Committee.

Find out more about Policing Performance Committee