Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: January 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
• Jo Farrell, Chief Constable, Police Scotland
• Jane Connors, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland 
• Penelope Cooper, Deputy Director, Police Division, Scottish Government
• Scott McNeil, Police Division, Scottish Government (note)

Items and actions

Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill

The Cabinet Secretary gave an update on the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill, which passed Stage 3 on 15 January. The Cabinet Secretary highlighted that, following amendments lodged by Douglas Ross MSP in relation to the disclosure of information around a police complaint, she has written to the Chief Constable seeking assurance that all complaints are handled in accordance with PIRC’s statutory guidance.

The Chief Constable welcomed the passing of the Bill, acknowledged the letter from the Cabinet Secretary and will respond in due course. 

The Cabinet Secretary noted that while the intent is to move at pace with the Bill’s implementation programme, there are various interdependencies which will require sequencing. Officials will continue to work closely with Police Scotland on the development of regulations in relation to vetting.

Officer and staff pay

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed agreement on a 4.75% pay increase for police staff and thanked all involved in the process for finding a resolution. Police officer pay negotiations have now entered into arbitration with ACAS. The Chief Constable noted the importance of having a resolution in place before 19 February which is the cut-off date to ensure the pay award is implemented in the end of March pay. The next step will be for the ACAS arbitrator to consider evidence put forward by the Official Side and Staff Side of the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (PNBS) and then reach a decision on the pay to be awarded.

The Chief Constable followed up on the timing of the Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) pay claim, noting that recruitment is now live for two ACC posts which have listed the salary as ‘under review’. The Cabinet Secretary is supportive of the pay claim, however, the immediate focus is on resolving the 2024/25 officer pay negotiations. The Cabinet Secretary asked her officials to explore whether anything can be put in place now to expediate the process once the officer pay claim is resolved.

Emma Caldwell investigation

The Cabinet Secretary confirmed that she and the First Minister are meeting with the Caldwell family next week, when they will be updated with progress. The Chief Constable is very aware of the sensitivities around this case. DCC Connors will provide a timeline to the Cabinet Secretary to illustrate the process that Police Scotland have undertaken so far. 

Sheku Bayoh public inquiry

The Chief Constable noted that the timeline for the inquiry has been extended by five weeks. Penelope Cooper (Deputy Director) informed the Chief Constable that the Deputy First Minister is now at the final stage of consultation on whether to extend the Terms of Reference and will be announcing a decision soon. 

Football disorder 

The Cabinet Secretary provided an update on the planned roundtable with stakeholders, noting her officials are working on this and plan to set up a roundtable by the end of May. 

The Chief Constable welcomed the update, highlighting the working groups already in existence which will help support this. DCC Connors provided an overview of policing of the Rangers v Celtic game on 2 January, which overall went well and had positive feedback from stakeholders. The next game takes place in March and will see the return of away fans at the fixture. The Cabinet Secretary expressed a preference for the initial round table discussions to be in advance of that fixture.

Mental health and policing demand

The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable reflected on the Criminal Justice Committee evidence session on 8 January with the Cabinet Secretary highlighting the importance of, and interest in, data in understanding demands and outcomes. The Cabinet Secretary also spoke of the value of partnership working in relation to data, which will help make connections and understand context.

The Chief Constable gave an update on ongoing work around data and agreed to share the Police Scotland mental health dashboard with Scottish Government officials. DCC Connors then gave an update on work with the Edinburgh Futures Institute to develop a data platform. DCC Connors will share further information on this with officials.

Estates Masterplan

The Chief Constable will attend a meeting with the Minister for Public Finance on public sector reform, where she plans to discuss the Estates Masterplan. Stuart Stevens, the Chief Fire Officer will also attend the meeting. The Chief Constable noted the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have carried out similar work in relation to their estate and Police Scotland are in discussions with the Service. DCC Connors noted the focus currently is on the disposal of older buildings which are not in use. The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the update, and asked to be kept informed of any planned changes to the estate.

Police Scotland three-year business plan

DCC Connors gave an overview of progress and priorities in implementing the three-year plan, including the start of the roll out of body-worn video and the community model in the spring; a new cyber and fraud division in April; a review of corporate services; and that Police Scotland continue to progress workforce modernisation. Work is also underway to plan for Year 2 of the business plan. Early discussions are taking place with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to understand what, if any, opportunities for collaboration on community policing there could be.

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the update and was interested in the impact of the changes. DCC Connors noted that they are starting to see a reduction in frontline demand from measures already in place, for example in relation to mental health and criminal justice system improvements. Added to this, the work on estates, the police fleet and officer kit, and officers on the frontline are beginning to see the positive impact of the three-year plan.