First workforce plan for policing in Scotland
Police Scotland’s first Strategic Workforce Plan (SWP) covering 2021-2024 is published today.
The plan will help identify the officer, staff and skills profile needed to best serve Scotland’s communities to ensure policing provides value for money to the public purse.
The SWP was developed with contributions from all divisions and departments across Police Scotland. Importantly, the Scottish Police Federation and all staff associations and unions contributed to developing the plan which was also supported by the Scottish Government and Scottish Police Authority.
It provides an evidence based approach to identifying policing requirements across the country with considerations such as changing population profiles and the needs of communities.
The plan also outlines work to review areas including the skills mix of Police Scotland; the deployment of officers on modified duties; the proportion of officers in promoted ranks; shift patterns and annual leave.
This work will be subject to further discussion with staff associations, unions and partners as progress is made.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “As our policing response to coronavirus demonstrates, the purpose of policing to maintain wellbeing and support communities goes far beyond law enforcement.
“It is the challenge of all in public service to ensure that when people need help, they get the right help. Our first Strategic Workforce Plan is a significant step to ensuring policing has people with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time while maximising value to the public purse.
“The previous year has underlined the relentless nature of policing and a key consideration of workforce planning is to support the safety and wellbeing of our officers and staff.”
Reform of policing in Scotland in 2013 was essential to protect and improve local services against a context of UK-wide austerity. Over £200 million has been removed from the annual cost base of policing compared to legacy arrangements – more than the combined budgets of four legacy services.
Reductions in funding and revenue pressures have, however, outpaced these savings and without an adjustment to policing’s allocation, its current workforce is unsustainable.
Mr Livingstone said: “Because of the acute operational requirements of the coming months, including our ongoing response to coronavirus, the implications of Brexit and policing the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, it would not be prudent to reduce officer numbers in the short to medium term.
“However, strategic workforce planning is important to help policing identify the officer and staff profile and the skills needed to continue to meet the changing and complex requirements of our communities in the most efficient way.
“The rapid increase in online abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people and children, either for financial gain or for sexual purposes, underlines that policing must continue to enhance our specialist capacity and capability to protect the people of Scotland from threat, harm and risk in the public, private and virtual spaces.
“Responsive and accessible local policing tailored to the needs of our local communities will always lie at the heart of Police Scotland’s purpose and mission.
“Policing, so often the service of last resort, will not step away from people in crisis where they have nowhere else to turn. The police service is and will always be there for our fellow citizens.
“I’m grateful to our staff associations and unions for their significant contribution to this complex and evolving process for policing and to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Police Authority for their ongoing support.”
The Strategic Workforce Plan has been published on the Scottish Police Authority website today and will be discussed at the SPA Board meeting on Friday, 22 January, 2021. The meeting is live-streamed on the SPA website.
