First Minister announces review of police governance

A review of police governance at national level will be undertaken, the First Minister has announced, amid ongoing criticism of policing in Scotland.

Delivering her programme for government as Holyrood returned from summer recess, Nicola Sturgeon said she recognised the process of police reform has “presented challenges and raised concerns”. 

The decision to order a review comes as the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) prepare to announce later this week Vic Emery’s successor as chair of the scrutiny body.

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“We will use the opportunity of this appointment to undertake a review of police governance at national level to ensure that early experience from the operation of the SPA and Police Scotland is acted upon to strengthen the system for the future,” Sturgeon told MSPs.

However, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie reiterated calls for a wider independent inquiry two-and-a-half years on from the single police service going live.
 
The appointment process for a new Police Scotland chief constable is underway after Sir Stephen House last week announced he intends to step down on December 1.
 
Local scrutiny committees will each get the chance to quiz his successor as part of a programme of public scrutiny sessions announced by the First Minister. These will be organised across three regional groupings with two to three sessions in each region every year.
 
The Scottish Government’s programme also promises to work with the SPA to “consider the implications of changing demands on Scottish policing” by next summer.
 
Whether police officer numbers will be included in this work remains uncertain after a former police chief and member of the Authority told Holyrood last week that a debate about police officer numbers is necessary “if we’re going to be able to balance budgets”.
 
A statutory code of practice for stop and search will also be brought in following a review chaired by solicitor advocate John Scott QC.
 
The move is a “step in the right direction”, according to Rennie, though he insisted non-statutory stop and search should be abolished.
 
The Lib Dem leader accused government ministers of “denying reality” on policing in Scotland and said announcements included in the programme of government were “simply not enough”
 
“We need an independent inquiry into the operation of Police Scotland,” he said. “It needs to change before it gets any worse.”
 
A new Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Bill will also see a statutory aggravation for offences that occur against a background of domestic abuse introduced as well as a new offence for sharing private images, often known as ‘revenge porn’.
 
The First Minister told MSPs that ministers will take the “next step” in work to create a new specific offence of domestic abuse over the next year.