Public consultation on policing future now open
Published 21 January 2020
Policing in Scotland is asking the public for their views on how to serve our communities in the future.
A draft of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Police Scotland’s new Joint Strategy for Policing was agreed at a meeting in Edinburgh on Friday, 17 January.
The document details the increasing requirements on officers and staff and the changing nature of society and crime, as well as setting out environmental and financial challenges to the sustainability of policing.
The joint strategy and information on how to submit your views can found here.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “I am committed to relentlessly improving how we reflect, engage with, and serve our communities, ensuring we uphold our values of human rights, fairness, integrity and respect.
“The creation of a single national service has helped to maintain responsive and visible local policing in our communities and transformed how we deal with serious crime and major incidents. This has been achieved as policing is asked to deliver around £200m of annual savings compared to legacy arrangements.
“The coming years present a wide range of considerations, from the sustainability of policing to emerging crime threats, and it is vital that we are able to invest in core infrastructure to support our people and enable them to meet those challenges.
“This consultation is an important opportunity for the citizens of Scotland to shape the sort of police service it wants at a crucial time.”
David Crichton, Vice Chair of the Scottish Police Authority said: “The revised Joint Strategy for Policing outlines the direction for policing in Scotland in the coming years and has been aligned to deliver against the Strategic Police Priorities set by the Scottish Government in December 2019.
“The Authority would welcome the views of our partners, the public and the communities we serve to ensure the strategic direction set out in the document meets their expectations and addresses key issues for policing in the coming years.”
The consultation will remain open until March 2 and submissions will be considered before the Joint Strategy for Policing is finalised and considered again by the Authority before being laid before Parliament.
