Draft Strategic Police Priorities for Scotland

5. Impact Assessments

Equality Impact Assessment and Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment

Policing is relevant to everyone in Scotland and particularly the most vulnerable people in Scottish society.

Under the Equality (Scotland) Act 2010 all Scottish public authorities must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. This covers people in respect of all aspects of equality:

• age;
• disability;
• gender reassignment;
• marriage and civil partnership;
• pregnancy and maternity;
• race;
• religion or belief;
• sex;
• sexual orientation.

Additionally, Scottish Government officials use Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments ( CRWIA) to help meet Ministerial duties under Part 1 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, the '2014 Act', and in relation to the Articles of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Because of the close link between equality issues with regards to age and children's rights and wellbeing, we have decided that our initial assessment will cover both EQIA and CRWIA perspectives to provide a more joined up assessment of the issues. A draft EQIA/ CRWIA has been developed and published on the Scottish Government website alongside this consultation paper.

Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment

All policy changes which may have an impact upon business or the third sector should be accompanied by a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment ( BRIA). The BRIA helps policy makers to use available evidence to find proposals that best achieve the policy objectives while minimising costs and burdens.

A draft BRIA has been developed and published on the Scottish Government website alongside this consultation paper.