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

Freedom of Information

This page tells you about the Scottish Police Authority’s duties toward Freedom of Information. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.

FOI Published Responses

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information that public authorities hold.

The Authority responds each year to around 100 Freedom of Information requests (FOI). As part of our commitment to demonstrate openness and transparency (in respect of the information we hold), anonymised FOI responses can be found in our Publication Library. You can get access to the responses seven days after they have been sent to applicants.

Individuals have the right to make a request for information. They have the right to be informed whether or not the public authority holds that information. With some exceptions in law, they have the right to be supplied with that information.

Requests for information can be submitted to foi@spa.police.uk or to the following address:

Scottish Police Authority
1 Pacific Quay
Glasgow
G51 1DZ

Our Freedom of Information Policy and Procedure can be accessed from ‘Related Content’ below.

Publication Scheme

For freedom of information, public authorities are required to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme. This sets out the classes of information available, how information can be accessed, and whether a charge will be made for the information.

The Authority has adopted the Model Publication Scheme. This was produced and updated by the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) in November 2018. See ‘Related Content’ below.

We are committed to delivering an open and transparent service whenever possible. It is our intention to include, within our Publication Scheme, information which we believe would be in the public interest.

Before submitting a FOI request, please consult our Publication Scheme and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The information you seek may already be available, or it may not be held by the Authority. FAQs can be accessed from 'Related Content' below.

The Scottish Information Commissioner

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 is enforced by the Scottish Information Commissioner. Enquirers should note the Scottish Information Commissioner's remit is limited to Scottish public authorities as defined by Section 3 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Enquiries relating to bodies covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and enquiries under the Data Protection Act 1998, should be directed to the Information Commissioner.

Contact Details:

The Office of The Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
FIFE
KY16 9DS
Tel: 01334 464610

Public Disclosure

Published: 07 November 2023

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