Police Scotland, Scottish Police Authority and Scottish Government meeting: March 2026

Attendees and apologies

• Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs  
• Jo Farrell, Chief Constable, Police Scotland  
• Alan Speirs, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland 
• Alasdair Hay, Vice-Chair, Scottish Police Authority  
• Kerry Morgan, Deputy Director, Police Division, Scottish Government  
• Lynsey McKean, Police Division, Scottish Government   

Items and actions

Budget  

The Chief Constable opened the discussion by expressing her appreciation for the Cabinet Secretary’s support during recent budget negotiations. She outlined the organisation’s key priorities for the year ahead, emphasising the ongoing work to maintain officer numbers and to strengthen oversight of overtime across the service. The Chief Constable also highlighted several unique operational and statutory demands that continue to shape policing budgets, including the resourcing required for public inquiries and fatal accident inquiries, both of which carry significant and often unpredictable cost implications. The Vice-Chair agreed with the points raised by the Chief Constable on additional strains placed on the organisation. He indicated that the SPA will be in a position to declare a balanced budget at the forthcoming Board meeting on 25 March.

Complaints handling

The Cabinet Secretary discussed with the Chief Constable, Police Scotland’s approach to the current backlog of complaints cases. DCC Speirs outlined the process that Police Scotland has undertaken, including additional training. He emphasised that the cases are non‑criminal and generally mid‑level in nature. The Chief Constable provided assurance that service quality and public confidence would be maintained throughout this process. Looking ahead, Police Scotland intends to engage with the PIRC on longer‑term work relating to how complaints are categorised within the existing statutory guidance.

HMICS Best Value Inspection report

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the findings of the recent report, noting that it presents a positive reflection of policing in Scotland. She highlighted several strengths identified by the report, including effective leadership, strong governance arrangements, and productive partnership working across the policing landscape. The Chief Constable acknowledged and agreed with the report’s conclusions, recognising both the progress made and the areas where further development is required. In particular, she noted the need for continued improvement in strategic workforce planning and in driving forward transformational change. The Cabinet Secretary emphasised the importance of maintaining clear oversight of progress against strategic priorities. She underlined the need to ensure that ongoing efforts remain aligned with future operational demand and capability requirements.

Local policing

The Cabinet Secretary discussed with the Chief Constable, whether current recruitment activity is sufficient to ensure rural and island communities remain attractive deployment options and whether the arrangements in place are resilient. The Chief Constable provided assurance that current recruitment activity is sufficient to maintain policing resilience across rural and island communities. DCC Speirs explained that a tailored recruitment programme is in place for these areas and confirmed that they are not experiencing challenges in filling posts. Work is also underway to increase the number of Special Constables in rural and island communities, with technology being used to strengthen operational capability. The quality of accommodation to attract families to rural areas has also been improved.  In addition, Police Scotland deploys enhanced seasonal resourcing to key tourist destinations during peak periods to support local demand.

Police estate

The Cabinet Secretary sought an update on Police Scotland’s plans to consolidate and modernise the police estate. DCC Speirs outlined progress across three major projects involving the Govan, Fettes and Jackton sites. Police Scotland has signed a lease on a modern facility in Greenock that will include walk‑in services and cell provision. The organisation aims to begin operating from the site within the year. The existing Govan facility will continue in use until the new premises are fully operational, particularly in relation to custody arrangements. Jackton will continue to operate as a training facility for new recruits and is also being developed to support specialist operational functions. Discussions are ongoing with the local authority regarding future options for the Fettes site. Police Scotland confirmed that estate reviews are also under way in the west of Scotland and in Tayside, with business cases initially scheduled for consideration at the August SPA Resources Committee.

Mental health and policing

The Cabinet Secretary enquired on progress regarding Police Scotland’s response to mental health demand in the community. The Chief Constable set out that Police Scotland continues to experience significant demand from mental health related incidents. She highlighted that a key gap lies in the lack of consistent 24/7 provision for individuals in emotional distress who do not meet the threshold for clinical mental health intervention. This gap results in police officers often being the default responders.

She also recognised the need for further work to build confidence among frontline officers, enabling them to step back from situations where police involvement is no longer required and where more appropriate support services are in place.

The Chief Constable emphasised that meaningful change would depend on wider public sector reform. She highlighted the importance of shared accountability and the need for clearer cross‑sector priorities to support people in crisis more effectively. She noted that these longstanding challenges must be resolved before a significant and sustained improvement can be felt by officers on the frontline.

Vetting

The Chief Constable sought clarification on the implications arising from the committee session on vetting held on 4 March. The Cabinet Secretary outlined the relevant parliamentary process, setting out the expected timescales and the potential outcomes depending on how different parties choose to vote during the committee’s consideration.