Estates Transformation
Police Scotland’s estate needs to be fit for 21st century policing, putting service enhancement, visibility, and engagement at the heart of the communities we serve.
These are core components of the legitimacy and consent on which policing in Scotland relies.
We are determined to continue to improve our visibility and accessibility, as well as to bring partners together to deliver services in the most efficient and effective way.
The communities we serve are at the heart of our Estate Strategy.
In recent years we have introduced technology that enables our officers to remain in local areas, reducing the need for them to return to police stations to deal with paperwork.
At the same time, the buildings in which our officers and staff work need to be safe, functional spaces, and they need to be sustainable and adaptable enough to meet changing public expectations and the changing nature of policing.
What is the Estate Strategy?
Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs, environmental inefficiencies, and in locations that no longer meet the requirements of local communities.
Our strategy seeks to move towards police stations co-located with partners where possible, to ensure services are delivered in the most efficient and effective way.
We now have more than 60 co-locations with partners, providing more sustainable, more modern, and safer workspaces for our people.
We have positive examples of successful partnerships in the North East, Perthshire, Forth Valley, and Ayrshire among others and this will continue to be an important part of ensuring policing in Scotland is sustainable.
Taking every opportunity to co-locate with partners is not only the best way to deliver savings to the public purse, it also facilitates more integrated and effective public services with better outcomes, particularly for the vulnerable in our society.
Estate consultations
We announced in December 2023 proposals to close of a number of police stations across the country as part of the Estate Strategy.
Public consultations were launched both at a local level and nationally through our online Engagement Hub, with consultations on individual properties taking place at different times.
All buildings proposed for closure either have, are or will be consulted on and then reviewed and assessed on a case-by-case basis.
We will continue to announce new consultations on buildings through local media outlets and on our social media accounts.
As the final decision or outcome of each building is reached, communications will be published to advise staff and the public accordingly.
Our presence in communities is not defined by buildings but by the officers and staff who work there. We understand and are sensitive to community concerns around changes involving police buildings and as we bring forward proposals we will engage and consult with the public.
Our policing service to local communities will not change as a result of the further estate changes we are proposing.
We invite you to submit your feedback on our National Conversation which will stay live on our Engagement Hub.
