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

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

Nicola Anderson

Nicola Anderson joined the Board of the Scottish Police Authority in January 2026.

She is a senior leader in technology, innovation, regulation and public policy, with extensive experience across the public and private sectors. Nicola has held senior roles in financial services regulation and led the strategic growth of Scotland’s fintech cluster as Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland. She brings deep expertise in research-led innovation and has contributed to UK and Scottish innovation and industrial strategies, supporting sustainable economic growth and digital transformation.

Register of Interests (last updated January 2026)

Remuneration	None
Other Roles	Director of Scaling Innovation at Scottish Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s Economic agency, established to enable economic growth Non-Executive Director at Advice Direct Scotland, a charity providing free independent advice on money and energy issues to Scotland’s consumers
Contracts	None
	None
Election Expenses	None
Houses, Land and Buildings	None
Interests in Shares and Securities	None
Gifts and Hospitality	None
Non-Financial Interests	None
Close Family Members	None

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Nicola Anderson