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

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Independent Custody Visiting Scotland

This section tells you about Independent Custody Visiting in Scotland.

The Scottish Police Authority monitors the welfare of people detained in police custody. The Authority uses a team of Independent Custody Visitors. These are volunteers, drawn from local communities.

Our Work and Findings

Independent Custody Visitors are volunteer members of the local community who visit police stations unannounced to check on the treatment of detainees, the conditions in which they are being held, and to see that their rights and entitlements are being observed.

Find out more about Our Work and Findings

Becoming a Volunteer

Do you have what it takes to play a key part in the welfare of detainees? Find out more about how you could become a volunteer visitor, and the kind of people we are looking for.

Find out more about Becoming a Volunteer

National Preventive Mechanism

The National Preventive Mechanism is a group of organisations designated under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) to monitor places of detention and report on the treatment of and conditions for detainees.

Find out more about National Preventive Mechanism

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Independent Custody Visiting Scotland

Our Work and Findings

Becoming a Volunteer

National Preventive Mechanism