Legislation setting out Scottish Government plans for a single Police Service for Scotland has now been agreed in principle by the Scottish Parliament.
The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill passed Stage 1 on May 10, and the legislation will continue its Parliamentary progress over May and June.
The Scottish Government will continue working closely with the Parliament, the service and other key stakeholders on the transition to the new Police Service of Scotland, which is expected to go live on April 1, 2013. A small leadership team will have an interim operating base at the Scottish Police College in Tulliallan Castle.
Work will now start to appoint the Chief Constable and the Chair and Members of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) which will hold him or her to account.
A single Police Service for Scotland will:
• Protect and improve frontline services for local communities against the backdrop of severe budget reductions by the Westminster government;
• Keep communities safer by providing more equitable access across Scotland to specialist support, expertise and national capacity when it is needed;
• Strengthen the links between the police and the communities they serve; and
• Provide clearer national governance.
Key aspects of the Police and Fire Reform Bill (Scotland) 2012 include:
• Regular, formal opportunities for the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise policing.
• Establishing the SPA to hold the Chief Constable to account.
• Establishing the Police Service of Scotland, comprising a Chief Constable, other officers and police staff. The Chief Constable and other senior officers will be appointed by the SPA. All constables and police staff will transfer to the new service.
• A statutory duty for the Police Service of Scotland to provide adequate local services.
• A designated local policing commander for each local authority area, responsible for involving the local authority in determining priorities and objectives for policing in the local area.
• A local plan for policing for each local authority area, agreed between the relevant local commander or local senior officer and the local authority, setting out priorities, objectives and arrangements for local service delivery.
• Complaint reviews and investigation of serious incidents and criminal offences involving the police to be handled by one independent body, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has established a short life stakeholder Sounding Board, to facilitate direct engagement with key stakeholders as the Bill passes through Parliament. The group consists of Police, Fire and Rescue and Local Government stakeholders, and will meet during Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Parliamentary process to consider key issues.
The first meeting considered matters raised during Stage 1 in Committee evidence sessions, with a particular focus on membership of the Scottish Police Authority and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board and local scrutiny and engagement.
Further information
The Bill and its supporting documents are available on the Scottish Parliament website.
Other background information:
• The Equality Impact Assessment;
• The Business Regulatory Impact Assessment;
• The consultation document published in September 2011;
• Independent report on the consultation analysis and summary report; and
• The consultation responses.
For further information please contact:
Police and Fire Reform Division
Scottish Government
Floor 1R
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG