Scottish Police

About Scottish Police

Welcome to ScottishPolice.info

This site aims to keep you updated on matters relating to, and the actions of, the police in Scotland.

Click on the categories on the right to go to the latest stories.

Most police powers and functions are devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Areas for which legislative responsibility remains with the UK Government include national security, terrorism, firearms and drugs.

A tripartite arrangement exists for the accountability for the police service in Scotland. Scottish Ministers retain overall responsibility for policing policy. Police Authorities and Joint Police Boards are responsible for setting police budgets and ensuring that best value is attained for the public purse. Chief Constables are responsible for the operational aspects of policing within their force areas.

Individual forces are funded in part by grant paid directly by Scottish Ministers and in part by a local authority’s revenue support grant, non-domestic rate income, and the council tax. Capital expenditure is met through borrowing. The police authority or joint board agrees the budget and resources for each force but decisions on the allocation of resources to meet operational requirements are a matter for each Chief Constable.

In addition to the 8 Scottish police forces, there are a number of common police services used by all forces including the Scottish Police College and the Scottish Criminal Record Office. A collaborative agreement signed by all 8 Chief Constables and Police Authority Convenors exists for the national operation of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency.

At 31 December 2005, there were 16,164 (whole time equivalent) officers in the Scottish Police Service, spread between the 8 forces as follows:

There were also 1,196 special constables and 7,030 (whole time equivalent) support staff of which 264 were traffic wardens.