Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: December 2024

Attendees and apologies

• Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
• Jo Farrell, Chief Constable, Police Scotland
• Jane Connors, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland 
• Penelope Cooper, Deputy Director, Police Division, Scottish Government
• Scott McNeil, Police Division, Scottish Government (note)

Items and actions

Policing budget

The Chief Constable welcomed the 2025-26 policing budget and thanked the Cabinet Secretary for her support, noting that the budget will allow Police Scotland to continue to deliver on the three-year business plan. The Chief Constable reflected on the additional £3m funding to tackle retail crime, stating that Police Scotland were currently developing plans on how best to use that.

The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged the significant additional cost of employer national insurance contributions, noting that the Scottish Government continues to negotiate the level of cover for this with the UK Government. 

The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable discussed the £30 million ‘invest to save’ fund announced by the Finance Secretary and agreed on the importance of exploring collaborative opportunities to deliver reform in any bid for funding.

Officer and staff pay

The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable discussed the status of negotiations on officer and staff pay. Police officer pay negotiations are now at the conciliation stage with ACAS. If there is no agreement they will then move to arbitration. The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable agreed on the importance of trying resolve the dispute before 19 February to allow the pay award to be included in this financial year’s salary. The Chief Constable will continue to carefully monitor any impact of the withdrawal of goodwill by federated officers.

Police Staff negotiations continue through the Joint National Consultative Committee.  

The Chief Constable followed up on previous discussions to progress the Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) pay claim, noting that it is now 18 months since the independent pay review. The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged the situation, particularly the discrepancy between staff and officer pay at that level, and asked that her officials continue to work with Police Scotland on the next steps and keep the Cabinet Secretary informed.   

Estates Masterplan

DCC Connors provided an update on the Estates Masterplan. While discussions are ongoing around longer term borrowing, Police Scotland are now in a position to start delivery of the plan following endorsement at the SPA Board meeting in November. The initial step will be to look at the capital profile in January. DCC Connors is aware that there will be concerns in any communities affected and Police Scotland plan significant community engagement. The intent is to be clear and upfront on any changes, such as closures, with communities and what this will mean for them.

Body worn video

The Chief Constable and DCC Connors provided an update on plans for the rollout of body worn video (BWV). Although timescales are tight, Police Scotland are confident they will be able to deliver on the rollout in spring 2025. A recent independent audit on the project identified areas for improvement but no critical areas of failure. Testing has been carried out on the integration with Police Scotland systems and work is ongoing on infrastructure. Training dates are also in the calendars and policy and procedures are close to sign-off.  All were agreed on the value of the rollout of BWV on officers, the public and justice system as a whole.

Police Scotland three-year business plan

The Chief Constable and DCC Connors highlighted progress in a number of areas relating to police reform including criminal justice system improvements, body worn video and digital capabilities. The focus will next be on the change function and what Police Scotland will need to do to deliver on that. The Cabinet Secretary highlighted the importance of focusing on purpose, outcomes and timeframes, particularly in areas with significant costs.

Sustainable roads policing

DCC Connors then turned to roads policing. Following the recent HMICS review, Police Scotland are developing a sustainable model for roads policing, talking into consideration the recommendations in the review, models elsewhere in the UK and the needs in Scotland. The focus will be on ensuring Police Scotland have the capability and capacity to meet needs across Scotland and utilise resources effectively.

There was then discussion on speed awareness courses and the value of those in changing behaviours. The Cabinet’s Secretary’s officials will explore whether legislation is required and what that would look like in this area.

Workforce planning

The Chief Constable provided an update on progress in this area, including the use of civilian investigators across the organisation and the importance of having skilled specialists in specific areas, for example firearms licencing. The Cabinet Secretary then discussed with the Chief Constable the recent staff survey and some of the key findings. The Chief Constable acknowledged there were a number of areas for improvement, and they would be accountable for that, but was grateful to all officers and staff who completed the survey which provided a baseline to build on. 

Mental health and policing demand

The Chief Constable provided a positive update on mental health and policing demand, noting work continues at pace and that the changes introduced are beginning to have an impact; for example there were 600 calls directed to the Mental Health Pathway in the last month that Police Scotland would have previously responded to. The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the update and noted that she would be interested in any further data Police Scotland can provide to show progress and the impact of changes. The Cabinet Secretary then provided an update on the Framework for Collaboration which is currently going through clearance processes and will be published in the new year. 

Football disorder in Glasgow

The Cabinet Secretary commended the actions of officers in responding to the disorder in Glasgow on 14 December and maintaining public safety. The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable were in agreement that the violence seen in Glasgow was not acceptable and that action will need to be taken to prevent this in the future. 

Police Scotland will review how they prepare for, and respond to, disorder in relation to football with a focus on prevention and providing reassurance to the public. The Cabinet Secretary and Chief Constable agreed that whilst the perpetrators are wholly responsible for their actions, the football clubs also have a responsibility here and committed to a roundtable with all key stakeholders, including football clubs and local authorities, to explore how can work together to tackle disorder and the use of pyrotechnics inside and outside of football grounds.