Policing must deliver next stage of reform

Policing in Scotland is well managed and led, but more needs to be done to reform the service and make the best use of its resources.

A joint best value audit by Audit Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland found that policing in Scotland benefits from effective leadership and governance. It also says that:

• senior leaders work well together and have a clear vision
• lots of improvement activity is taking place
• financial management is strong
• and partnership working is a continuing strength.

However, the audit identified clear areas where more needs to be done. Policing has been slow to put in place effective changes to modernise how it operates. Workforce planning remains underdeveloped. And there is no evidence that 16,500 police officers and around 5,900 police staff are the right numbers to deliver an effective police service for the future.

Auditors also found that current performance reporting cannot show if policing in Scotland is achieving its strategic goals. And while public trust in the police remains high, confidence in local policing has declined.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said:

Policing in Scotland has a clear vision and senior leaders who work well together. But there’s more to do, especially around workforce planning and managing absence and officers on modified duties.

Crucially, to deliver its vision and the next stage of reform, policing needs to put clear measures of success in place to ensure it can report on whether its goals are being achieved.

Craig Naylor, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said:

Policing must constantly adapt to new forms of crime, evolving societal demands and expectations. The nature of threat, harm and risk has been changing and becoming more complex, moving from communities into homes and online.

Much has been achieved since the reform of policing services in 2013. That's included more equal access to specialist resources, better use of technology and an increased focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion.

But policing knows it needs to increase scrutiny and delivery of its transformation programmes, as some modernisation plans haven’t been well managed in the past.

At a time when the Scottish Government has set a new reform strategy for public services, there is now a real opportunity to effectively deliver the next stage of policing reform and ensure the service continues to improve.