Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: May 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
• Jo Farrell, Chief Constable, Police Scotland
• Bex Smith, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland - Transformation
• Fiona McQueen, Chair, Scottish Police Authority
• Lynn Brown, Chief Executive, Scottish Police Authority
• Penelope Cooper, Deputy Director, Police Division, Scottish Government
• Lynsey McKean, Police Division, Scottish Government 

Items and actions

Police Scotland three-year business plan

The Chief Constable set out that Police Scotland is progressing well against the objectives outlined in the organisations three-year business plan. A report to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) at the end of year one showed 85% of deliverables had been met. Outstanding items largely involve external partnership dependencies. The roll out of body-worn video has successfully commenced and Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) is nearly complete.

DCC Smith spoke about significant progress that has been made in workforce modernisation, including the introduction of civilian investigators. This approach has allowed detectives to focus on complex investigations and supports a more agile, intelligence-led policing model. Civilian roles are proving highly effective and are being explored further in areas such as cybercrime and fraud.

DCC Smith spoke about the Policing in our Communities pilot set to begin in July in Forth Valley. It focuses on community-based teams with identified officers leading on problem-solving, anti-social behaviour, and local engagement. The model also includes a triage system for investigations and back-office efficiency reforms. This approach will help return officers to front-line community work and improve multi-agency coordination.

The Chief Constable spoke about the Force Mobilisation Model, setting out how it supports a fairer, more effective front-line model of policing. It seeks to provide a number of tangible benefits, including better resourcing of operational needs at weekends and providing all officers with the opportunity to access a rolling pattern of weekend leave. The impact on leave, rest days, and morale is being monitored, with performance data to be reviewed by the Policing and Performance Committee.

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the strategic approach being taken by the Chief Constable towards future resourcing and supported this being shaped around policing objectives and outcomes. The Chair, Chief Constable and Cabinet Secretary agreed a clear narrative on the conversation on modernisation, demonstrating the value of non-warranted staff and their effectiveness in supporting the response to the changing nature of crime is required to support public facing communications. This requires a move away from the focus on officer numbers only. Police Scotland will continue developing a communications strategy on workforce modernisation.

The challenges of effective multi-agency data sharing were discussed. The Cabinet Secretary spoke about a cross-government Ministerial Group she chairs on Public Protection and suggested this matter could be raised in this forum to understand what more can be done to support the streamlining of data-sharing and improve service delivery. Officials will progress a discussion on data-sharing agreements via the Public Protection Ministerial Group.

Officer and Staff Pay Strategy

The Cabinet Secretary, Chief Constable and SPA Chair discussed the strategic approach to pay, reflecting on last year’s pay negotiations and discussed what could be done to reach a positive resolution in 2025-26. They acknowledged the wider public sector pay negotiations underway and the potential for those to have bearing on police pay negotiations. The Cabinet Seretary reiterated the need to take cognisance of the Fraser Allander Institute research.

 Mental Health and Policing

The Chief Constable welcomed the inclusion of policing and mental health demand in the Programme for Government for 2025/26. The Cabinet Secretary reaffirmed her commitment to delivery and continued cross-sector progress on reducing the police’s role in responding to mental health crises and transitioning individuals to appropriate services more efficiently. The Cabinet Secretary further stressed that data and robust metrics must underpin efforts to evidence the progress being made, highlighting the essential roles of both the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland in achieving this shared objective.

Purpose of Trilateral Meetings

All parties agreed that the trilateral format continues to serve as a valuable forum for fostering strong relationships and addressing complex issues in a constructive and collaborative manner. It was recognised as an important mechanism for promoting transparent dialogue and strategic alignment across key leadership bodies. It was further agreed that two additional meetings will be scheduled to take place before the end of March 2026.