Police Scotland

After a consultation process,[8][9] the Scottish Government confirmed on 8 September 2011 that a single police service would be created in Scotland.[10] The Scottish Government stated that "reform will safeguard frontline policing in communities by creating designated local senior officers for every council area with a statutory duty to work with councils to shape local services. Establishing a single service aims to ensure more equal access to national and specialist services and expertise such as major investigation teams and firearms teams, whenever and wherever they are needed."[11] The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill was published in January 2012[12] and was approved on 27 June 2012 after scrutiny in the Scottish Parliament.[11] The bill received royal assent as the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. In September 2012, Chief Constable Stephen House of Strathclyde Police was announced as the future first Chief Constable of Police Scotland. He was sworn into the post on 1 October 2012.[13][14] The first chair of the Scottish Police Authority, Vic Emery (then the convener of the Scottish Police Services Authority), was appointed in August 2012.[15]

As the date of formation approached, it was widely reported that the new Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority were in disagreement over the control of backroom staff.[16]

In February 2013 it came to light that the previously announced logo for Police Scotland could not be used as the force had failed to seek approval from the Court of the Lord Lyon.[17] This new symbol, a stylised thistle upon a Scottish saltire shield, failed to meet the longstanding heraldic rules of the Lyon Court and was thus discarded. A permanent logo was not approved in time for 1 April 2013 creation of Police Scotland, but the pre-2013 crowned thistle emblem was finally (re)introduced in July 2013. This emblem was originally designed for the former Dumfries Constabulary by Robert Dickie Cairns (1866–1944), an art teacher at Dumfries Academy.[18] With minor artistic variations, it was the same logo used by all regional Scottish police forces before 1 April 2013.

Police Scotland officially came into being on 1 April 2013 under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, merging the following law enforcement agencies:

• Central Scotland Police
• Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
• Fife Constabulary
• Grampian Police
• Lothian and Borders Police
• Northern Constabulary
• Scottish Police Services Authority, including the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency
• Strathclyde Police
• Tayside Police

In June 2014, a leaked Police Scotland internal email to police managers in Dunfermline ordered a substantial increase in "stop and search" activities and warned any police officers not meeting the higher targets would be subjected to a performance development review. Police Scotland has previously denied setting stop and search performance targets for individual officers.[19] The next month, it was revealed that between April and December 2013, Police Scotland's officers stopped and searched members of the Scottish public at a rate of 979.6 per 10,000 people, a rate was three times higher than that of the Metropolitan Police and nine times higher than that of the New York Police Department. It was also revealed that the Scottish Police Authority, the body tasked with overseeing Police Scotland, had removed criticism of Police Scotland's use of "stop and search" powers from a report it had commissioned. Also removed from the report were calls for a review of stop and search on children and for clarification of the policy's primary aim.[20]

In October 2013, Police Scotland announced proposals to close 65 out of 215 police station public counters and reduce opening hours at others. Police Scotland cited a drop in the number of people visiting public counters and the development of new ways for the public to contact the police, including the 101 telephone number and contact points which connect callers at police stations directly to officers, as reasons for the proposed closures. The plans were condemned by some opposition MSPs.[21] In November 2016, it emerged that 58 further stations could close as part of an estates review.[22][23]

Scottish Crime Campus, Gartcosh

In 2014, the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh was opened. This £73-million secure facility houses several specialist investigative and analytical departments of the police including forensic services, and is also the base for other law enforcement-related agencies such as the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency.[24] Police Scotland was responsible for the security of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[25]

New administrative headquarters on the River Clyde at Dalmarnock, Glasgow

In 2015, the former Strathclyde Police headquarters in Pitt Street, central Glasgow were closed and the officers based there transferred to a new £24million office in the Dalmarnock district of the city (although some operational functions, such as the control room for Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, moved to the regional communications facility in Govan).[26]

In October 2013, it was announced that the number of police control rooms and call handling service centres in Scotland was under review, with the possibility of seven out of ten such offices closing. Control rooms considered for closure included Dumfries, Aberdeen and Inverness;[27][28][29] the Dumfries control room closed in May 2014, with the workload absorbed by existing facilities in Glasgow and Motherwell.[30] The facilities in Glenrothes and Stirling soon followed, with all their calls and dispatching moved to a single site for the east of Scotland at Bilston, Midlothian.[31]

Closures in Aberdeen and Inverness (with control functionality moving to Dundee and call handling across the three sites in the Central Belt) were delayed until 2017[32] as a result of a HMICS review of the service, following a July 2015 incident in which two persons died after their vehicle had crashed off the M9 motorway;[33] the matter had been reported to the police just after the crash but was not investigated further at the time as the call was not properly logged onto the computer systems due to inefficient interim procedures in place following the recent restructuring in the eastern region.[34]

The Aberdeen control room and service centre closed in March 2017[35][36] and Inverness followed in February 2018[37] with staff at the latter location invited to re-train in a dedicated unit performing criminal record checks and other enquiries via the Police National Computer and related databases;[37][38] this unit was to share work with an existing department in Govan, a proposal which local council leaders claimed was not what was originally presented to them during the consultation process.[29][39] That department was formally launched in May 2018.[40]

As of February 2021 [41]

• Chief Constable: Iain Livingstone QPM
• Deputy Chief Constable (People and Professionalism): Fiona Taylor
• Deputy Chief Constable (Local Policing): Will Kerr OBE
• Deputy Chief Constable (Crime and Operational Support): Malcolm Graham
• Assistant Chief Constable (Conference of the Parties 26): Bernard Higgins
• Assistant Chief Constable (Local Policing – East): Tim Mairs
• Assistant Chief Constable (Local Policing – West): Steve Johnson
• Assistant Chief Constable (Local Policing – North): John Hawkins
• Assistant Chief Constable (Operational Support): Mark Williams
• Assistant Chief Constable (Organised Crime, Counter Terrorism and Intelligence): Angela McLaren
• Assistant Chief Constable (Professionalism and Assurance): Alan Speirs
• Assistant Chief Constable (Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing): Gary Ritchie
• Assistant Chief Constable (Local Policing – Criminal Justice): Kenny MacDonald
• Temporary Assistant Chief Constable (Major Crime and Public Protection): Duncan Sloan
• Temporary Assistant Chief Constable (Operational Change and Resilience): Roddy Irvine
• Deputy Chief Officer (Corporate Services, Strategy and Change): David Page
• Chief Digital and Information Officer: Andrew Hendry
• Director of Change: Neil Dickson
• Director of Business Integration: Tom McMahon
• Director of People and Development: Jude Helliker
• Chief Financial Officer: James Gray

All force executive officers are currently based at Tulliallan Castle in Kincardine, Fife or Stirling Randolphfield. The Assistant Chief Constables' salary depends on their previous experience and would normally fall between £90,000 and £106,000 a year.[42] In 2014, Executive officers of the force were awarded a £10,000-a-year pay rise.[43]

Police Scotland uses the same rank structure and insignia as other police forces in the United Kingdom. The ranks of Constable, Sergeant and Inspector can be prefixed with the term "Police", which leads to the abbreviations of "PC", and, more rarely, "PS" and "PI". Normally, however, the "Police" is omitted as it is unnecessary, except for the abbreviations – especially PC. Detective officers of the ranks Constable to Chief Superintendent have their ranks prefixed with the term "Detective", e.g. Detective Constable (abbreviated "DC") and Detective Superintendent (abbreviated DSupt).

Local policing in Scotland is overseen by a Deputy Chief Constable. The country is divided geographically into 3 regions – North, East and West, each headed by an Assistant Chief Constable. There are 13 Divisions, each covering one or more local authority areas and headed by a Chief Superintendent. All divisional commanders are "people who came up through the ranks in that part of the country".[46] Divisions are further split into Area Commands under Chief Inspectors. These are then managed by Ward mirroring the 353 Wards used in local authority elections; every ward in Scotland has its own local policing team (response) and problem solving team (community).[47]

As of October 2020 [48][49]

• Examples of National Resources include:- Specialist Crime Division: National Intelligence Bureau, Homicide Governance and Review, Prison Intelligence Unit, Human Trafficking Unit, National Rape Investigation, National Rape Review, Fugitive Unit and Scottish Protected Persons Unit, International Unit, HOLMES, Safer Communities Citizen Focus, Preventions and Interventions, and Strategic Partnerships. Operational Support: Scottish Police Information and Coordination Centre, Intelligence, Specialist Operations Training, Air Support, Dive/Marine Unit, Football Co-ordination Unit, Mounted Unit, Mountain Rescue, Motorcycle Unit. Custody: Area Command, Support
• Examples of Regional Resources include:- Specialist Crime Division: Major Investigation Teams, Forensic Gateways, E – Crime, Financial Investigations, Serious and Organised Crime Units, Counter Terrorism Units, Offender Management, Border Policing Command, Technical Support Unit and Interventions. Operational Support: Road Policing Units, Event and Emergency Planning, VIP Planning, Armed Policing Training, Road Policing Management & Policy, Armed Policing, Dogs, Trunk Roads Policing Group and Operational Support Units. Custody: Regional Custody Teams. Contact, Command and Control: Area Control Rooms and Service Centres
• Local police officer resources are the core complement of officers under the direction of the Local Commander and include community policing, response policing and divisional road policing teams. Also included in the local resource figures are officers within the divisional Criminal Investigation Department and Public Protection Units.

The Specialist Crime Division (SCD) provides access to national investigative and intelligence resources for matters relating to major crime, organised crime, counter terrorism, intelligence, covert policing and public protection.[50] SCD comprises more than 2000 officers and targets individuals that pose the most significant threat to communities.[51]

Officers from Border Policing Command operate in the major airports in Scotland and undertake examinations and searches of passengers under the Terrorism Act 2000.[51]

The Special Branch - note that "special branch" is not the official term used by Police Scotland - is a covert part of the service, which may consist of various units. The Special Branch's primary role is to gather intelligence on terrorist operations and all terrorist-related incidents, and when the branch obtains any intelligence they shall pass on the information to the security service (MI5) or the service / agency appropriate to the current situation. The Special Branch also gathers intelligence on political and animal rights extremist activity, and any environmental extremism. In addition the Special Branch provides personal protection to VIPs or certain individuals who may be vulnerable to potential terror attacks or other types of attacks. The Special Branch works very closely with the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), the Security Service (MI5), and many other police forces in the UK.

Police Scotland has limited responsibilities when it comes down to counter terrorism, with the Metropolitan Police being the main force behind counter terrorism operations throughout the UK. However, the SCD does have counter-terrorism in its remit, and relies on daily support from several UK agencies, including MI5 and the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism at the Home Office.

Major Investigation Teams (MITs) are located throughout Scotland and are responsible for leading the investigation of all murder inquiries and large-scale and complex criminal investigations. Although each MIT will be responsible for investigating cases within its own area, where required they will be able to be deployed anywhere in the country to respond to need and demand.[52]

The National Anti Corruption Unit is the first of its kind in UK policing and works in partnership with the public sector to prevent corruption in publicly funded organisations. The unit also offers a specialist investigative capability. The unit is split into two teams, one focused internally within Police Scotland whilst a second team focuses on other publicly funded organisations.[53]

The existing Scottish Intelligence Coordination Unit and Strathclyde Police Vice and Trafficking Unit combined on 1 April 2013 to form the new National Human Trafficking Unit (NHTU).[50]

The investigation of rape and other sexual offences is a key priority for Police Scotland. National Rape Taskforce units are located in Glasgow and Aberdeen and work alongside Divisional Rape Investigation Units. They provide a national investigative capacity and a case review function.[52][53]

The Prison Intelligence Unit (PIU) provides an interface for the exchange of information and intelligence between Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service. The unit also develops and supports policy, procedure, planning, research, technology development, advice and communication between Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.[54]

The Licensing and Violence Reduction Division (LVRD) contains a number of miscellaneous functions including the titular alcohol licensing and violence reduction teams.

One of the higher-profile units within the LVRD is the Domestic Abuse Task Force (DATF). The DATF has a presence in each of the command areas as DATF (West), DATF (East) and DATF (North). The DATF (North) is unique amongst the three in having sub-offices in N Division (Highlands and Islands), A Division (North-East) and D Division (Tayside). The DATF has national responsibility for pro-actively addressing domestic abuse. Its divisional equivalents are the Domestic Abuse Investigation Units.

Another unit within the division is the Force Flexible Policing Unit (FFPU, or "Flexi Teams" as they are known locally), based in all three command areas (North, East, West). This unit's primary function is to act upon specific geographical intelligence relating to spikes in crime trends (particularly involving violence, alcohol, antisocial behaviour or other high volume crime), and carrying out taskings in the form of high visibility patrols and public reassurance.

The City of Glasgow was one of the first in Scotland to successfully trial a specialist Violence Reduction Unit.

Policing of Scotland's roads network is the responsibility of the Roads Policing Unit. The unit is split into three areas, west, east and north which cover their respective Local Police Divisions. The departments aim is to achieve casualty reduction and wider operational objectives. There are roughly 500 road policing officers in Scotland, Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock is currently the head of roads policing.[50] The Collision Investigation unit sits within Road Policing division. Unlike many other forces, there is no dedicated Collision Investigation. Instead investigating serious and fatal RTCs lies with specially trained officers who carry out the role beside their core road patrol functions.

Six operational support units (OSUs) have been established to provide specially skilled officers trained in over ground search, public order and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response. When not used in their specialist roles OSU officers are deployed in local communities focusing on issues as directed by demand. OSUs are based in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee (North), Edinburgh and Alloa (East) and Glasgow (West). Across the force area the OSU comprises a total of 6 Inspectors, 18 Sergeants and 172 Constables.[55]

Armed Policing provides Armed Response Vehicles (ARV), the Specialist Firearms Unit and Armed Policing Training.

Prior to the inception of Police Scotland, the routine tasking and visibility of ARV officers varied widely across Scotland with deployment models varying for matters such as if officers carried side arms with a standing authority or if they were secured in the vehicles. The operational functions and cover of the ARV's also varied including if they could be tasked for routine incidents and one legacy force did not have a regular ARV patrol.[56] Police Scotland introduced ARV patrols in all 13 local policing divisions in Scotland with 275 dedicated officers.[57][56][58][59] ARV officers carry a X26 or X2 Taser, a Glock 17 handgun and a Heckler & Koch G36 carbine.[60][56] Former Chief Constable Sir Stephen House's founding policy decision was that ARV officers would be granted a standing authority to overtly carry their sidearm and, in addition, controversially allowed ARV's to be able to respond to routine incidents (non-firearms incidents) "to provide support to local policing through regular and tasked patrols".[56][57] This policy was made without proper consultation provoking both political and public debate.[56] In October 2014, the policy was changed so that an ARV can only be tasked to an incident involving firearms or a threat to life.[61][59]

The Specialist Firearms Unit (formerly the Tactical Firearms Unit), which was inherited from Strathclyde Police, consists of Specialist Firearms Officers (SFO) and Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers (CTSFO), who form part of the United Kingdom CTSFO Network, and are equipped with the SIG MCX carbine.[56][60]

In June 2016, it was announced there would be an additional 124 armed officers, of these, 90 officers would be dedicated to armed response vehicles and 34 would be trainers and specialist firearms officers, bringing the total number of armed officers to 365.[62][59][60]

The Dog Branch comprises 75 police dog handlers located throughout Scotland. Training has been centralised at the National Dog Training Centre in Glasgow.[55]

The Air Support Unit is based at Glasgow City Heliport and consists of one helicopter, owned and operated by Bond Air Services under contract. A helicopter crew consists of one civilian pilot and two police officer observers. The Air Support Unit was inherited from Strathclyde Police, the only police force in Scotland to possess such a unit at amalgamation in April 2013.[63] The Police Scotland and Strathclyde Police Air Support Units have suffered a total of three hull-loss accidents involving their aircraft, two of which resulted in fatalities.

• On 24 January 1990, a Bell 206 JetRanger G-EYEI, normally used by Radio Clyde and covering for unavailability of the police MBB Bo 105 (G-SPOL) helicopter crashed in Giffnock, Glasgow after suffering engine failure during a sudden, severe snow storm. The aircraft was not fitted with a "Snow Deflector Kit" and suffered from choking of the engine air intake, resulting in the engine failing. The aircraft hit a five-story building while attempting to land and crashed to the ground, causing the death of 32-year-old police observer Sergeant Malcolm Herd. The remaining three crew (two police officers and one pilot) survived the accident.[64]
• On 19 February 2002, a Eurocopter EC135 T1 G-SPAU crashed in a field near Muirkirk in East Ayrshire while conducting a search for a possible missing child.[65] The crew, comprising two police officer observers and one pilot escaped serious injury, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and scrapped. Accident investigators were unable to confirm a definitive cause for the accident, but issued two recommendations to improve safety.[65][66]
• On 29 November 2013, Police Scotland's only helicopter (a Eurocopter EC135, registration G-SPAO), crashed into The Clutha Vaults pub in Glasgow, killing ten people including all three crew.[67][68]

Police Scotland had access to a loan helicopter (also a Eurocopter EC135, registration G-CPSH, formerly of the Chiltern Air Support Unit) from the National Police Air Service. This was removed from service with the formation of NPAS, due to budget cuts.

Police Scotland received their own, new H135 (renamed EC135) in early 2017, registered G-POLS. The aircraft continues to be leased from Babcock, who also still provide pilots, maintenance and support.

Two full-time units skilled in both underwater search and marine capability are based in Greenock (1 Sergeant and 11 Constables) and Aberdeen (dive supervisor and four Constables). A number of non-dedicated divers are retained across the country to provide additional support.[55]

The mounted branches of Strathclyde Police and Lothian and Borders Police were merged prior to the formation of Police Scotland. The combined branch now provides mounted support throughout Scotland. The mounted branch is based in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, and has a strength of 22 horses.[55]

Police Scotland operate three mountain rescue teams (Grampian, Strathclyde & Tayside), who provide search and rescue capabilities to those in need.[50] Police Scotland also holds responsibility for search and rescue provision across the nation, a responsibility they often delegate to mountain rescue or HM Coastguard.

Special constables are unpaid volunteers who have the same police powers as their full-time counterparts when on or off duty. They must spend a minimum of 96 hours per year on duty.[69] Although they are unpaid a "Recognition Award Scheme", remodelled in 2016, awards a payment of £1,100 to Special constables who achieve 180 hours service in a 12-month period and have at least two years previous police service.[69]

Special constables undertake a standardised comprehensive training program which normally runs over a course of at least eight weekends with one full week spent at Scottish Police College in Tulliallan. When on duty, they wear the exact same uniform as their regular counterparts. There are no differences in their uniform and they are visually indistinguishable from their regular colleagues. Special constables can be used in time of need, usually working alongside regular officers on community policing or emergency response teams and in the Specialist Crime and Operational Support Divisions e.g. Dog Unit and Roads Policing.

As August 2020, Police Scotland had a total of 466 Special constables.[70] A further reduction of 9% on 2019 figures with 13% of the total cohort (65) being classified as inactive thus leaving the number of active members of Police Scotland Special Constabulary at little over 400. The organisation trained 38 new Special constables but lost 67 in the same time period resulting in a net loss of 29 SPC's in the year to August 2020. There is growing concern from some individuals over the future prospects of Police Scotland's Special Constabulary if the number of SPC's with the organisation continues to decline at the current rate.[71]

In comparison to August 2020 figures in September 2019, there were 513 Special constables throughout Scotland,[72] down nearly 64% from 1,400 in 2013/14. Moreover, 17% of the total cohort of Special constables (89 officers) were classed as inactive, meaning they had not deployed in over 6 months leaving the number of active members of the Special Constabulary at 424.[1] In 2019, 118 Special constables left the organisation (70 of whom left to become full-time PCs with Police Scotland), however during the same time period only 50 new Special constables joined thus resulting in a total net loss of 68.[72]

Table Data Source [71]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, at the request of Police Scotland,[73] Special constables with the organisation increased their hours. Working 43,750 hours from the months of March to June with A, D & E Division's each volunteering over 4500 hours.

Table Data Source [70]

Monolingual and bilingual (English/Gaelic) vehicle decals, showing a stylised Royal Badge of Scotland (A thistle surmounted by the Crown of Scotland) and Latin motto SEMPER VIGILO (Always Vigilant)

Police Scotland has a fleet of approximately 3,750 vehicles. Almost all of Police Scotland's high-visibility marked vehicles are marked up in a "half-Battenburg" style.

Some of the most common marked patrol vehicles used by local policing response and community teams have included:

Cars

1. Ford Focus Estate
2. Vauxhall Astra Estate
3. Peugot 308 Estate

Vans

1. Ford Transit
2. Ford Connect
3. Ford Transit Custom

1. Ford Kuga
2. Mitsubushi Outlander
3. Land Rover Defender

1. Volvo V90
2. Volvo XC90
3. BMW 530D xDrive
4. BMW 525D
5. BMW 330D xDrive
6. BMW X5

• 
  Peugeot 308
• 
  BMW 5 Series
• 
  Vauxhall Astra
• 
  BMW X5
• 
  Ford Transit Custom
• 
  Police motorcycle

In September 2015 Peugeot won the contract to provide response vehicles,[84] after Ford had been awarded the first supply contract in January 2014.[85]

BMW & Volvo[86] currently hold the contract for supplying high performance vehicles required for various department needs, including Road Policing (RPU) and Armed Policing (ARV) - (SFU) which generally consist of both marked and unmarked BMW 330, 530 and X5 models, the Mitsibushi Shogun. The Operational Support Unit primarily use the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the Iveco Daily as personnel carriers.

Crime Division officers tend to use semi-marked or unmarked hatchback and estate cars. Vauxhall Movano vans are also used, some acting as mobile offices. Some of these vehicles are modified for police use with radios, lights, sirens and a 'run lock' facility enabling officers to take the keys out of the ignition without stopping the engine, thereby ensuring the battery is not depleted if the lights need to be left on for long periods of time.