Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: September 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 
• Alan Speirs, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland
• Gerry Corrigan, Superintendent, Police Scotland
• Penelope Cooper, Deputy Director, Police Division, Scottish Government
• Lynsey McKean, Police Division, Scottish Government (note)

Items and actions

Commonwealth Games 2026

The decision to host the reduced Commonwealth Games was discussed. Police Scotland requested a seat on the Steering Committee and advised that they may need to amend their three-year plan milestones to accommodate the policing of this event as it falls in the middle of the period. This will be confirmed once the nature of the Police Scotland requirement is better understood.

Police Officer numbers

DCC Speirs updated the Cabinet Secretary on officer numbers, setting out the trajectory for the coming months. He highlighted Police Scotland has welcomed over 690 new officers since March. This includes around 130 new officers starting on 2 September, bringing the total number of new recruits to over 1,280 since the beginning of 2023. The next intake of around 262 probationers is expected to commence training at Tulliallan (207) and Jackton (55) on 4 November. Discussion moved to the development of the methodology to ensure consistency in the data and robust figures that can be used to provide accurate comparisons. The Chief Constable highlighted that the quality of the recruitment pipeline is strong. The Police Scotland Estates Strategy is focusing on ensuring that they have the capacity across the policing estate to take on larger intakes of recruits.

Police pay negotiations

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed the update from DCC Speirs that discussions on pay had commenced with unions and staff associations. She spoke of her support for a multi-year deal and all avenues being explored where possible. She highlighted that at this stage in the budget process, it is not possible to provide assurance of the full budget allocations for policing for 2025-26 and 2026-27. However, she confirmed that the recurring costs of the agreed 2024-25 pay settlements would be taken into account in relation to future budgets. DCC Speirs confirmed Police Scotland would have further conversations with the Scottish Government before returning to conversations with unions and staff associations in the coming weeks.

Police Scotland three-year business plan

The Chief Constable spoke about the ambitions of the three-year plan and the extensive consultation that has taken place to inform it. The plan highlights that Police Scotland are working to carry out organisational transformation by April 2027 to move them towards a more sustainable and affordable operating model that ensures the service can continue to tackle high threat, harm, and risk in all of Scotland’s communities. The key deliverables are a commitment around community policing and strengthening the frontline; an estate fit for the future; technology and broader partnership improvements; including a cross sector approach to supporting mental health demand in the community and driving efficiencies within the criminal justice system. Police Scotland has consulted widely with stakeholders who are supportive of the direction of travel and clarity it brings. The plan will be taken to the SPA Board for endorsement on 26 September.

Estates Masterplan

The Chief Constable set out the ambitions of the Estates Masterplan to be considered by the SPA Board at its meeting on 26 September. She explained that the work on the police estate is key to helping the organisation to deliver on its 10 year vision under the revised model of policing, with the aim of delivering a police estate which is modern and fit for purpose, co-located where possible, while disposing of outdated, underinvested and underused properties. She described the challenges and the costs associated with the maintenance and repair of the existing estate. Delivery of the Masterplan will require significant capital investment. However the savings delivered through its implementation would reduce estate operating costs by £130m over 10 years. Police Scotland wish to explore the option of borrowing in order to meet the costs of implementing the Masterplan. The Police and Fire Reform Act 2012 includes provision for the SPA to borrow money but not without the express consent of Scottish Ministers. The Cabinet Secretary set out she understood the logic of the Masterplan. She highlighted there is a presumption against a public body borrowing money, but she is open to exploring the legislative provisions with Scottish Government Finance. The Cabinet Secretary also spoke about the importance of using capital receipts to maximum benefit.

Emma Caldwell public inquiry

The Chief Constable spoke about the ongoing challenge to identify an external police force to carry out a new criminal investigation into the original investigations following the murder of Emma Caldwell. Progress on identifying an external force appears to have been hampered due to the impact of recent violence and disorder in England. The Chief Constable raised the resource implications for Police Scotland and options for recovery of this additional cost. The Cabinet Secretary was sympathetic to the difficult position that Police Scotland and other public bodies are in with competing demands for limited resources. She stated officials will continue to work with Police Scotland once more information about the investigation is known to understand the likely costs.

Sheku Bayoh public inquiry

DCC Speirs spoke about correspondence received by Police Scotland requesting a change to the Terms of Reference of the Inquiry. Police Scotland are concerned about the substantial impact on officers subject to the Inquiry and for the budgetary impacts on Police Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary set out that portfolio responsibility for the Inquiry sits with the Deputy First Minister (DFM), that this is a complex issue which requires careful consideration and Scottish Ministers will make a decision in due course.

Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill

The Chief Constable spoke about the secondary legislation which sits behind the Bill as being key to Police Scotland delivering the changes they seek. She therefore would prefer that the secondary legislation be taken through Parliament in parallel with the Bill. The Cabinet Secretary spoke about the technical nature of the Bill and that this required the full attention of MSPs at this stage. The Bill will proceed to Stage 2 before the October recess, where the Cabinet Secretary has agreed to bring forward an amendment to address the HMICS vetting recommendation. The secondary legislation will be progressed once the Bill completes Parliamentary process. However the Cabinet Secretary is supportive of preparatory work to take place in parallel which is being taken forward through a sub-group of the Scottish Police Consultative Forum (SPCF).