Police

A police-led taskforce will continue its work to tackle shoplifting and violence against staff after securing funding in the draft budget for 2026-27. The Retail Crime Taskforce was launched in April last year following £3 million investment from the Scottish government to combat a rise in ret

Police Scotland has confirmed it will continue recording non-criminal “hate incidents”, even as the practice is set to be abandoned in England and Wales. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said police south of the border should stop logging non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) and focus inst

The proposed restructure of England and Wales’ police forces is needed to deal with the reality of 21st century crime but the mistakes that beset the creation of Police Scotland must be avoided, according to a University of Dundee expert in the subject. Professor Megan O’Neill, chair of

A senior police officer has credited the roll-out of body-worn video (BWV) cameras with a sharp fall in the number of officers being required to attend court, freeing them to spend more time on patrol. Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen told The Press and Journal that the introduction of BWV across t

There are more than 10,000 arrest warrants outstanding across Scotland, new figures show. Data published by Police Scotland reveal that as of 3 September 2025, there were 10,064 outstanding arrest warrants, including seven for murder, five for attempted murder and 40 for rape.

Nearly one in 20 police officers across Scotland are unable to be deployed due to having their officer safety training expired, it has emerged. Figures released by Police Scotland show that as of August 21, 2025, there are 582 officers whose Officer Safety Training has expired. It represents 4.2 per

Scotland’s crumbling police stations need more than £230 million spent on them, according to “staggering” figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives. A freedom of information response reveals that the maintenance backlog costs for the police estate across the country now

Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee has called for urgent clarification after it emerged Police Scotland withheld a damning report that warned of a “boys’ club” culture in the force. The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights Independent Review Group (IRG) was set

More than 10,000 arrest warrants are currently outstanding in Scotland, with police leaders warning they lack the resources to clear the backlog. Figures show 10,064 warrants were active on 3 September, up from 9,071 last November. They include seven for murder, 42 for rape and attempted rape, five

The number of police investigations into missing persons has "fallen significantly" since a national framework was implemented to support those most at risk. In 2017-18 Police Scotland conducted 22,966 investigations for people who were missing with one in two of those investigations for a person wh

A new report has called on Police Scotland to improve the quality of its uniforms after a review revealed many officers are buying their own trousers, fleeces, boots and jackets rather than wear the poor quality and ill-fitting kit provided. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland found that whi

Rights and equalities groups have condemned Police Scotland’s announcement that it will continue work to introduce live facial recognition technology, warning of “racial injustice, creeping surveillance and democratic erosion”.  Fourteen rights and racial justice organisations

Police Scotland has been accused of sexism, misogyny and violence against women at both institutional and individual levels, according to a review obtained under freedom of information laws. The findings come from a “deep dive” analysis by the Independent Review Group, which had already

Police Scotland has run internal training courses to support officers with reading, writing, statement-taking and everyday speech, prompting concerns about the calibre of new recruits. A freedom of information request by The Herald confirmed the training was delivered in collaboration with SEMPER Sc

Police Scotland has been urged to strengthen its data handling after almost 1,400 breaches were recorded over the past three years. Incidents included the loss or theft of technology used by officers, unauthorised access to systems or data, and misplaced identity cards and keys.