We Asked, You Said, We Did

Our Your Police 2023-24 survey is now live.

In April 2022, Police Scotland refreshed its local policing survey to gather views from Scotland’s diverse communities. Your Police 2022-2023 remained open throughout the year and helped us understand people’s opinions of policing in their local area, as well as tell us about any concerns regarding their area which was affecting their safety or wellbeing.

Your feedback via the survey has helped us ensure that our policing services in your community were high quality by supporting the communities we serve.

In total, we received 16,953 responses over 12 months, including over 50,000 free-text responses. There were 1,011 responses received in March 2023 alone – highlighting the continued dedication of local policing divisions in listening to the communities they serve.

The average public confidence level for the period April 2022 – March 2023 was 38%. This includes people who either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they have confidence in local police. Confidence levels among organisations who responded to Your Police (300 organisations) averaged 52%. 

We learned that things which effect public confidence include police visibility and accessibility, community engagement and the values and behaviours of our officers and staff. We also know that events taking place in local areas that attracted a large police presence had an impact on public confidence. Public confidence exists across all of our 13 local policing divisions.

Policing in your local area

Just less than three quarters of the people who responded to Your Police told us that they feel safe in their local areas – an average of 73% of people said they felt safe and this has remained the high over the past year. However, we know that there are people who feel less safe for a variety of reasons and the Service is now working to take action based on your feedback.

• 62% of those who took part in Your Police told us that police are friendly and approachable;
• 30% of people said that the police listen to the concerns of local people; and,
• 22% said the police deal with local issues.

A large number of respondents said they ‘don’t know’ when asked about these measures. We are now working with our Public Confidence Governance Board to enhance and expand our engagement within Scotland’s diverse communities. This board is chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond.

Concern about crime

40% of people told us their concern about crime had remained the same while 25% said their concern had increased a lot, and 32% said their concern has raised a little. Only 3% said it had decreased. We know that people with disabilities and those who live in areas most affected by poverty have more concern about crime.

Generally, concerns have included: anti-social behaviour (particularly at nights and weekends), speeding and dangerous driving (specifically in rural areas), house break-ins, drug taking and dealing and wider vulnerability concerns about relatives and neighbours.

Greater engagement being required with children and young people, including those who support them - such as youth workers, teachers, and sports clubs - was also highlighted.

On what matters most to the public (from open-ended responses), constant themes included: visibility (a local presence), communicating and engaging with the public, and understanding the needs of diverse communities.

Your Police continues to be the largest of its kind in the UK to involve the public in a conversation about policing and their local community. Responses have been reviewed regularly by senior police officers and have helped us act quickly in relation to emerging issues; helping shape our approaches to operational policing across Scotland.

We have compared our data with other national public surveys to ensure that Your Police continues to provide robust insights to support effective and high quality policing in communities throughout Scotland.

Five things we have done with your feedback

Further, we have developed the ways that we share your feedback internally so that your local policing teams are aware of what matters to you. We have developed insight dashboards and local area commanders are using them to inform what they do locally. 

Your feedback has also shaped the Annual Police Plan 2023-24 and Local Police Plans 2023-26.

Thank you

We are grateful to all who participated in Your Police during 2022-23. Our Research and Insight team continue to review every response in detail and provide detailed reporting to senior management and the Scottish Police Authority (which is the body that helps ensure an effective and high-quality service).

Responses to Your Police will continue to feed into decision-making structures within Police Scotland on a regular basis. Police Scotland’s ‘Public Confidence Governance Board’ will build on the actions taken from the survey and continue to shape our approaches to improving public contact and engagement.

We are enhancing our local and national approaches to community engagement, and involving more people in more decisions about their police service in new ways. More information is in our projects section.

Further information: Any clarifications or questions about this update can be made by contacting the Research and Insight team:

InsightEngagement@scotland.police.uk

In April 2022, Police Scotland refreshed its local policing survey to gather views from Scotland’s diverse communities. This British Sign Language (BSL) version of Your Police 2022-2023 remained open throughout the year and helped us understand people’s opinions of policing in their local area, as well as tell us about any concerns regarding their area which was affecting their safety or wellbeing.

Your feedback via the survey has helped us ensure that our policing services in your community were high quality by supporting the communities we serve.

In total, we received 95 responses over 12 months, including nearly 300 free-text responses. 

The average public confidence level for the period April 2022 – March 2023 was 44%. This includes people who either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they have confidence in local police.

We learned that things which effect public confidence include police visibility and accessibility, community engagement and the values and behaviours of our officers and staff. We also know that events taking place in local areas that attracted a large police presence had an impact on public confidence. Public confidence exists across all of our 13 local policing divisions.

Policing in your local area

The majority of the people who responded to BSL Your Police told us that they feel safe in their local areas – an average of 76% of people said they felt safe and this has remained the high over the past year. However, we know that there are people who feel less safe for a variety of reasons and the Service is now working to take action based on your feedback.

• 72% of those who took part in Your Police told us that police are friendly and approachable;
• 37% of people said that the police listen to the concerns of local people; and,
• 26% said the police deal with local issues.

A large number of respondents said they ‘don’t know’ when asked about these measures. We are now working with our Public Confidence Governance Board to enhance and expand our engagement within Scotland’s diverse communities. This board is chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond.

Concern about crime

31% of people told us their concern about crime had remained the same while 62% said their concern had increased. 2% said it had decreased. We know that people with disabilities and those who live in areas most affected by poverty have more concern about crime.

Generally, people’s concerns have included: antisocial behaviour (including at local beauty spots and public parks/greenspace), speeding and dangerous driving, house break-ins, drug taking and dealing and wider vulnerability concerns about relatives and neighbours. Greater engagement being required with children and young people, including those who support them - such as youth workers, teachers, and sports clubs - was also highlighted.

On what matters most to the public (from open-ended responses), constant themes included: visibility (a local presence), communicating and engaging with the public, and understanding the needs of diverse communities.

Your Police continues to be the largest of its kind in the UK to involve the public in a conversation about policing and their local community. Responses have been reviewed regularly by senior police officers and have helped us act quickly in relation to emerging issues; helping shape our approaches to operational policing across Scotland.

We have compared our data with other national public surveys to ensure that Your Police continues to provide robust insights to support effective and high quality policing in communities throughout Scotland.
 

Five things we have done with your feedback

Further, we have developed the ways that we share your feedback internally so that your local policing teams are aware of what matters to you. We have developed insight dashboards and local area commanders are using them to inform what they do locally. 

Your feedback has also shaped the Annual Police Plan 2023-24 and Local Police Plans 2023-26.

Thank you

We are grateful to all who participated in Your Police during 2022/23. Our Research and Insight team continue to review every response in detail and provide detailed reporting to senior management and the Scottish Police Authority (which is the body that helps ensure an effective and high-quality service).

Responses to Your Police will continue to feed into decision-making structures within Police Scotland on a regular basis. Police Scotland’s ‘Public Confidence Governance Board’ will build on the actions taken from the survey and continue to shape our approaches to improving public contact and engagement.

We are enhancing our local and national approaches to community engagement, and involving more people in more decisions about their police service in new ways. More information is in our projects section.

Further information: Any clarifications or questions about this update can be made by contacting the Research and Insight team:

InsightEngagement@scotland.police.uk

Between July and October 2022 we ran our ‘Violence against Women and Girls: Your Stories’ public engagement activities. This storytelling space was intended for survivors to share their stories about their own lived experiences which would help us shape our new strategy on Violence against Women and Girls. 

The purpose of the engagement was to understand survivor stories from people who have experienced or witnessed violence. Survivors could provide as little or as much information as they felt comfortable sharing, including their own journey, their interactions with the police, and the impact. It also aimed to help us identify user needs, barriers to reporting, and establish what women and girls need from Police Scotland; ensuring that our services are fit for purpose.

We also held a number of focus groups and interviews with a range of individuals and organisations, including women’s support organisations, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and Scottish Women’s Autism Network. We commissioned Dundee and Angus Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre to facilitate conversation cafés with men and boys.

A first for Police Scotland, we hosted an online ‘Ideas for Change’ space. This invited the public to share ideas about what Police Scotland can do within and with Scotland's communities to end violence against women and girls.

Taken together, all of our engagement activities aimed to ensure we had a good understanding of many experiences from different perspectives. 

All of this was done with the aim of developing a strategy that supports what we do, and how we do it, alongside our partners across sectors, to help improve the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities in Scotland. The strategy is informed by our values, ethics, and service standards, and also by the understanding of lived and living experiences.

In total, we received 135 responses on our storytelling public engagement (95% were from women). All participants had experienced, witnessed, or provided support to people who had experienced violence against women and girls.

Responses cited a range of different experiences, demonstrated within our key findings:

• Experience of violence included sexual violence (34%), domestic abuse (26%), harassment (22%), physical violence (8%), stalking (4%), and cyber abuse (2%). Perpetrators included partners, family members, strangers and colleagues.
• For most participants, violence took place in their own home (35%), followed by in the street (15%) and at work (13%).
• Around 4 in 10 of the storytelling participants (43%) reported what happened to them to the police. 
• From storytelling response analysis, survivors were more likely to report a partner (54%) compared to a family member (37%) or stranger (34%). Emotional abuse was the highest unreported crime type among storytelling participants and was generally not reported until there was physical violence (did not report emotional abuse – 80%, did not report domestic abuse – 33%).
• Reasons for not reporting included the perception of the law, how they might be treated by police, the repercussions of reporting, and the involvement of and impact on children.
• How officers showed up when engaging with survivors was as important as the outcome in making survivors feel listened to, respected and safe. Interactions with police greatly impacted recovery and confidence to report and engage with police in future.
• For some people, the process of making a report to police and the experience of a court process has negative impacts on their mental health.
• Some storytelling participants shared that the reporting process and then journey through the criminal justice system can be difficult. For example, making a report to the police can be challenging having to re-live experiences.

We facilitated 12 interviews and four focus groups, with 30 participants in total; including Scottish Women’s Aid employees, Ethnic Minority women and women with Autism.

Participants highlighted different interactions with police and shared their experience of the reporting process and the impacts of violence against women and girls. The need for a more effective reporting process, training for trauma informed practice, and survivor focused support from the police was emphasised by both interview and focus group participants.

Our ‘Ideas for Change’ platform received 32 ideas with 16 additional comments in support of or providing feedback on ideas. Ideas included reporting crime, education, police training, support services, further research, and the use of technology to improve survivor experiences.

What we heard from all of our engagement activities has enhanced our understanding of violence against women and girls, and has shaped the development of our strategy. Some things have already changed as a result of what we heard, such as the way we provide interpretation services for people who use British Sign Language.

Police Scotland will take on board the recommendations received in the engagement to improve the service we provide to the public. The following areas have been reviewed and have shaped what you will see in the final version of our Violence against Women and Girls Strategy.

Inclusion and Accessibility

• Accessibility of information and support, particularly for seldom-heard communities and non-English speakers.
• Accessibility of reporting processes, including the use of technology for safe and discreet reporting and evidence sharing.
• Improving ease of contact for reaching specific officers who are involved in cases.

Prevention

• Understanding and addressing the causes of violence against women and girls and misogyny.
• Perpetrator focused and evidence-led campaigns.
• Treating reports made once survivors have left situation just as seriously as an ongoing incident would be treated, due to the high levels of vulnerability and risk upon leaving.
• Working with partners and other support services to manage threat, risk and harm, and provide an appropriate response based on an individual's needs.

Learning and Development

• Refresh training and education resources for police officers and staff, enhancing reflective practice and on applying trauma-informed approaches.
• Diversity training to increase understanding of different communities and cultures, including how so called ‘honour-based’ violence and coercive control may present differently.
• Specific domestic abuse officers in response policing that are trained and can provide effective support.
• Build a greater understanding of how the LGBTI community in Scotland is affected by violence, such as domestic abuse within same sex relationships and impacts for transgender people.

Community Engagement

• Keeping public and communities engaged and involved in change through meaningful approaches.
• Public engagement to explain processes of reporting violence against women and girls, to raise awareness of the next steps should someone choose to report. Share examples of positive outcomes.
• School and youth engagement to raise awareness and understanding with young people about violence against women and girls.
• Improving communication and transparency on role and accessibility of police, and support services. Using different ways to improve reach to seldom-heard communities (e.g. information at medical centres, airports etc.)

Thank you

We are grateful to everyone who participated in our engagement activities during 2022.

What you shared was powerful and we are treating this subject very seriously. Our Research and Insight team worked closely with our Strategy and Planning team to collaborate and ensure that our public insights were reflected as the strategy was developed. We hope you can see where your participation has made a difference.

We are committed to a Scotland free from violence against women and girls and we are working hard to demonstrate that your police service is there when you need us.

Our officers and staff will act professionally at all times, treating you with integrity, fairness and respect and we will always respect and protect your human rights. We will take all concerns and complaints where this has not been the case seriously.

We are promoting a learning and improvement culture - supporting our people to provide the best possible policing responses within and for our diverse communities.  

• You can view the Strategy being discussed and approved at the Policing Performance Committee on the Scottish Police Authority's website at 1:36:13.
• You can download the final version of the Strategy in the files section below.

In April 2021, Police Scotland refreshed its local policing survey to gather views from Scotland’s diverse communities. Your Police 2021/2022 remained open throughout the year and helped us understand public opinion about local policing, as well as provide an opportunity for the public to tell us about any concerns regarding their area that are affecting their safety or wellbeing. Feedback via the survey has helped us ensure that our policing services in your community are the best they can be.

If you didn’t take part in Your Police last year, you can take part in our new Your Police 2022/23! Don’t miss out on your chance to have your say.

In total, we received 20,024 responses over 12 months, including over 50,000 free-text responses. There were 6,341 responses received in March 2022 alone – highlighting the continued dedication of local policing divisions in listening to the communities they serve.

The average public confidence level for the period April 2021 – March 2022 was 39%. This includes people who either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they have confidence in local police. Confidence levels among organisations who responded to Your Police (104 organisations) averaged 40%. 

We learned that things which affect public confidence include police visibility and accessibility, community engagement and the values and behaviours of our officers and staff. We also know that events taking place in local areas that attracted a large police presence had an impact on public confidence. Public confidence exists across all of our 13 local policing divisions.

Policing in your local area

A majority of people feel safe in their local areas – an average of 82% said they felt safe and this has remained the high over the past year. However, we know that there are people who feel less safe for a variety of reasons and the Service is now working to take action based on your feedback.

• 63% said police are friendly and approachable;
• 30% said police listen to the concerns of local people;
• 23% said the police deal with local issues.

A large number of respondents said they ‘don’t know’ when asked about these measures. We are now working with our Public Confidence Governance Board to enhance and expand our engagement within Scotland’s diverse communities. This board is chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond.

Concern about crime

42% said their concern about crime had remained the same while 54% said their concern had increased. 3% said it had decreased. We know that people with disabilities and those who live in areas most affected by poverty have more concern about crime.

Generally, people’s concerns have included: antisocial behaviour (including at local beauty spots and public parks/greenspace), speeding and dangerous driving, house break-ins, drug taking and dealing and wider vulnerability concerns about relatives and neighbours. Greater engagement being required with children and young people, including those who support them - such as youth workers, teachers, and sports clubs - was also highlighted.

On what matters most to the public (from open-ended responses), constant themes included: visibility and accessibility of police (a local presence), communicating and engaging with the public, and understanding the needs of diverse communities.

Your Police continues to be the largest of its kind in the UK and involves the public in a conversation about policing and their local community. Responses have been reviewed regularly by senior police officers and have helped us act quickly in relation to emerging issues; helping shape our approaches to operational policing across Scotland.

We have compared our data with other national public surveys to ensure that Your Police continues to provide robust insights which support effective and high quality policing in communities throughout Scotland.

Five things we have done with your feedback

1. Enhance local police presence at identified key locations (including scenic areas, parks, urban areas), with a focus on patrolling during the evenings and after dark. People told us a visible police presence was important in making them feel safe.
2. Update our local community partners on a regular basis, through local police scrutiny boards in each local authority area – using the data to design an appropriate policing response for local needs.
3. Shape our communications and advice in local areas in response to concerns and feedback from the public – helping people to stay safe.
4. Provide information and advice on issues like hate crime, housebreaking and responsibly use of vehicles (including off-road bikes and scooters) to reassure all communities.
5. Developed the ways that we share your feedback internally so that your local policing teams are aware of what matters to you. We have developed data dashboards and local area commanders are using your feedback to understand how to deploy police officers to keep your area safe.

Your feedback also shaped the Annual Police Plan 2022-23.

Thank you

We are grateful to all who participated in Your Police during 2021/22. Our Research and Insight team continue to review every response in detail and provide detailed reporting to senior management and the Scottish Police Authority (which is the organisation that helps ensure an effective and high-quality service).

The survey has been launched again for 2022/23; so make sure you fill it in! Responses to Your Police will continue to feed into decision-making structures within Police Scotland on a regular basis. Our Public Confidence Governance Board will build on the actions taken from the survey and continue to shape our approaches to improving public contact and engagement.

We are enhancing our local and national approaches to community engagement, and involving more people in more decisions about their police service in new ways. We will keep our Citizen Space platform and public information channels up to date regularly.

Further information: Any clarifications or questions about this update can be made by contacting the Research and Insight team:

InsightEngagement@scotland.police.uk

In April 2021, Police Scotland refreshed its local policing survey to gather views from Scotland’s diverse communities. The British Sign Language (BSL) version of Your Police 2021/2022 remained open throughout the year (it closed on 31 March 2022) and helped us understand people’s opinions of policing in their local area, as well as tell us about any concerns regarding their area which was affecting their safety or wellbeing.

Your feedback via the survey has helped us ensure that our policing services in your community were high quality by supporting the communities we serve.

If you didn’t take part in Your Police last year, you can take part in our new BSL Your Police 2022/23! Don’t miss out on your chance to have your say and let us know how we’re doing in your community.

In total, we received 398 responses over 12 months, including nearly 1000 free-text responses. There were 174 responses received in February 2022 alone– highlighting the continued dedication of local policing divisions in listening to the communities they serve.

The average public confidence level for the period April 2021 – March 2022 was 41%. This includes people who either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they have confidence in local police. This confidence figure includes responses from the 4 organisations who responded to BSL Your Police such as Women’s Aid and the COP 26 Youth Project.

We learned that things which effect public confidence include police visibility and accessibility, community engagement and the values and behaviours of our officers and staff. We also know that events taking place in local areas that attracted a large police presence had an impact on public confidence. Public confidence exists across all of our 13 local policing divisions.

Policing in your local area

The majority of the people who responded to BSL Your Police told us that they feel safe in their local areas – an average of 77% of people said they felt safe and this has remained the high over the past year. However, we know that there are people who feel less safe for a variety of reasons and the Service is now working to take action based on your feedback.

• 58% of those who took part in Your Police told us that police are friendly and approachable;
• 30% of people said that the police listen to the concerns of local people.
• 27% said the police deal with local issues.

A large number of respondents said they ‘don’t know’ when asked about these measures. We are now working with our Public Confidence Governance Board to enhance and expand our engagement within Scotland’s diverse communities. This board is chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond.

Concern about crime

38% of people told us their concern about crime had remained the same while 58% said their concern had increased. 4% said it had decreased. We know that people with disabilities and those who live in areas most affected by poverty have more concern about crime.

Generally, people’s concerns have included: antisocial behaviour (including at local beauty spots and public parks/greenspace), speeding and dangerous driving, house break-ins, drug taking and dealing and wider vulnerability concerns about relatives and neighbours. Greater engagement being required with children and young people, including those who support them - such as youth workers, teachers, and sports clubs - was also highlighted.

On what matters most to the public (from open-ended responses), constant themes included: visibility (a local presence), communicating and engaging with the public, and understanding the needs of diverse communities.

Your Police continues to be the largest of its kind in the UK to involve the public in a conversation about policing and their local community. Responses have been reviewed regularly by senior police officers and have helped us act quickly in relation to emerging issues; helping shape our approaches to operational policing across Scotland.

We have compared our data with other national public surveys to ensure that Your Police continues to provide robust insights to support effective and high quality policing in communities throughout Scotland.

Five things we have done with your feedback

1. Enhance local police presence at identified key locations (including scenic areas, parks, urban areas), with a focus on patrolling during the evenings and after dark. People told us a visible police presence was important in making them feel safe.
2. Update our local community partners on a regular basis, through local police scrutiny boards in each local authority area – using the data to design an appropriate policing response for local needs.
3. Shape our communications and advice in local areas in response to concerns and feedback from the public – helping people to stay safe.
4. Provide information and advice on issues like hate crime, housebreaking and responsibly use of vehicles (including off-road bikes and scooters) to reassure all communities.
5. Developed the ways that we share your feedback internally so that your local policing teams are aware of what matters to you. We have developed data dashboards and local area commanders are using your feedback to understand how to deploy police officers to keep your area safe.

Your feedback also shaped the Annual Police Plan 2022-23.

Thank you

We are grateful to all who participated in our BSL version of Your Police during 2021/22. Our Research and Insight team continue to review every response in detail and provide detailed reporting to senior management and the Scottish Police Authority (which is the body that helps ensure an effective and high-quality service).

The survey has been launched again for 2022/23; make sure you fill it in! Responses to Your Police will continue to feed into decision-making structures within Police Scotland on a regular basis. Police Scotland’s ‘Public Confidence Governance Board’ will build on the actions taken from the survey and continue to shape our approaches to improving public contact and engagement.

We are enhancing our local and national approaches to community engagement, and involving more people in more decisions about their police service in new ways.  Keep an eye on our Citizen Space platform and public information channels for more information in the coming months.

Further information: Any clarifications or questions about this update can be made by contacting the Research and Insight Team:

InsightEngagement@scotland.police.uk

Between June and September 2021, Police Scotland launched the second phase of their “Use of Body Worn Video” public engagement. This survey was intended to help shape Body Worn Video use by our police officers, operational staff and special constables when interacting with the public.

The purpose of the survey was to understand public views relating to the use of Body Worn Video, including any impact this might have for the public and police officers. It also aimed to help us understand any reservations the public might have relating to Body Worn Video and how we might introduce this alongside our broader Contact and Engagement Strategy, ensuring that we build both trust and confidence in Police Scotland.

We also conducted a number of focus groups with a range of relevant organisations and individuals, including women’s support organisations, asylum seekers, refugees and young people. This ensured they were involved in decision making process.

All of this was done with the aim of enabling an effective approach which puts human rights and the views and needs of individuals and communities at the heart of what we do.

Our survey received 9,310 responses from individuals and organisations.

Responses highlighted clear support for Body Worn Video: 

• The majority (82%, with 54% strongly agree, 28% agree) supporting the use of Body Worn Video by police officers, operational staff and special constables when engaged in police activities.
• Most also agreed that the use of Body Worn Video would increase their feelings of trust (85%) and confidence (84%) in Police Scotland.
• 71% of respondents agreed they would “always” feel safer knowing that their interaction with Police Scotland was being recorded by Body Worn Video, whilst 13% said they would feel safer “often”, and 8% said “sometimes”.
• Most (77%) agreed with the use of clear guidelines for when Body Worn Video should be switched on and 61% disagreed that police officers, staff and special constables should be able to decide when Body Worn video is or is not used.

Focus groups highlighted general support for Body Worn Video, with participants discussing benefits of its use (for example, deterring crime). The need for clear guidelines was also emphasised by focus group participants, in addition to the need for transparency in Body Worn Video and footage use, so that the public can hold Police Scotland to account. The safety of victims, survivors of serious offences and witnesses of crime was also emphasised, suggesting situations where the use of Body Worn Video may not be appropriate. This shows that there needs to be balanced protocols which set out the control officers, staff and special constables have when using Body Worn Video devices.

Your views have informed the decision making process, including helping to shape the development of our Code of Practice, as we move forward to the next steps. If funding is available in the future, the ability to issue Body Worn Video to police officers, operational police staff and special constables across Scotland, in a way that has been informed by meaningful public engagement, is something we're very proud of - thank you for taking part. 

We wanted to find out what you thought about our draft Gaelic Language Plan. We asked you to rate your level of agreement for each of the plan's core activities and let us know if you thought we were missing anything. 

As a public authority, a duty is placed on Police Scotland to publish an updated Gaelic Language Plan under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.

A total of 6,753 responses were received. This includes:

• 5268 responses to the English language version of the consultation;
• 1485 responses to the British Sign Language (BSL) version; and
• 13 responses were received in Gaelic.

A variety of diversity monitoring information relating to the age, race, gender, disability and long-term conditions of individuals was gathered. This data was used throughout the process to enhance our reach and communications towards stakeholders and population sub-groups. 

Around 75% of respondents did not agree that Police Scotland should have a Gaelic Language Plan. Main reasons provided by respondents for this were: 

• Government interference and politically driven;
• Not a job for the police with resources better spent on core role;
• Inappropriate due to the small number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland who almost all speak English; and
• Other languages (Polish, Urdu, Doric etc) were more worthy of this focus.

We acknowlegde that many people who responded to our consultation disgareed with the premise of having a Gaelic Language Plan. However, legislation requires Police Scotland to have a plan and to take action to adopt and promote Gaelic language in service delivery.

We have set out below the main activities we proposed within our consultation and the analysis of feedback gathered through open text responses.

Gaelic Language Plan Development and Implementation Group

We asked respondents what they thought this group could do to enhance and develop Police Scotland's approach to using Gaelic language. Feedback included: 

• Working with schools and Gaelic community groups to increase education provision/community engagement. 
• Recruiting more Gaelic speaking officers and staff, focussing efforts solely in geographical areas of Scotland where Gaelic is already commonly spoken.
• Learning from police services in Wales about dual language operations. 
• Having a way for Gaelic speakers to identify our officers and staff who speak Gaelic. 

Increasing our use of Gaelic language in our community messaging, communications and liaison 

We asked respondents what they thought we could do to enhance the profile of Gaelic language in our community messaging. Feedback included: 

• Evolve our written communications with all or some being available in English as well as Gaelic. 
• Effectively utilising our Gaelic speaking officers and staff and having a way for them to be identified (e.g. a pin badge). 
• Bi-lingual posts on social media accounts. 
• Focusing community messaging in Gaelic through media already familiar with the Gaelic speaking community, such as BBC Alba and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal.
• Mixed views as to whether community messaging in Gaelic should be a national or more targeted to areas with high concentrations of Gaelic speakers.

Using our policies, procurement and branding to support Gaelic language 

We asked respondents about how we should utilise our assets and policies to support and enhance Gaelic language. Feedback included: 

• Develop a policy around recruiting Gaelic speakers and deploying them in mostly Gaelic speaking areas.
• More officers to learn Gaelic, supported by Police Scotland as their employer, to do so.
• Develop a greater Police Scotland presence on mainstream Gaelic media and social media.
• Partnership working and committing to attending community events for engagement with the Gaelic speaking community.

Integrating Gaelic language in our campaigns 

We asked respondents what their campaign priorities would be for any future campaigns in Gaelic. Feedback included: 

• Water safety, road safety, child safety, domestic abuse, rural crime, drink/drug driving, safety outdoors, countryside code, drug use, bike safety.
• Campaigns to improve engagement with schools (Gaelic schools in particular).
• Increased Gaelic content in Police Scotland campaigns will result in many Gaelic words and phrases becoming more familiar to members of the public.
• Some respondents suggested including Gaelic in posters and social media content rather than full campaigns.
• No consensus view on whether Gaelic campaigns should be national or directed where the language is more frequently used.

Any other comments or anything gaps within the proposed plan

We asked respondents for any other feedback about the proposed plan. Feedback included: 

• Need for a cost-benefit analysis to understand which parts of the plan derive the best value for money.
• Some said the focus of the plan should be aligned geographically with the concentration of Gaelic speakers.

Police Scotland do not consider that the public consultation has suggested any requirement for a fundamental change to the proposed plan. The existing plan is sufficiently flexible to consider many of the points raised by respondents.

Police Scotland will continue to take on board the feedback we have received in this consultation to improve the accessibility of our services in the future. We work hard to ensure language is not a barrier for anyone who needs us. Alongside this work, we will continue to support the Gaelic language, so that it continues to be visible and audible throughout our organisation and within the diverse communities we serve.

If you have questions, or need to access the results in a different way, please email PPCWDiversityUnit@Scotland.pnn.police.uk. 

In partnership with Victim Support Scotland, we sought views that would help us explore the ‘aftercare’ and referral process for individuals affected by crime in Scotland.

We carried out focus groups, depth interviews and a public survey which ran between 3^rd June and 31^st August 2021. These allowed us to gain views from our communities surrounding the Victim Care Card, the use of language in aftercare processes and potential opportunities for improvement.

All of this was done with the aim of enabling effective organisational responses which put the needs of individuals at the heart of what we do.

Our survey received 492 responses, 82% of these respondents had experienced crime in the last two years, either as a victim or a witness. Of these, 47% shared they had been a victim of crime, 15% had been a witness of crime and 20% had been both a witness and victim of crime. The most common type of crimes experienced were assault, harassment and threats - affecting 109 respondents.

Responses to our survey highlighted key themes and issues that need to be addressed to improve the aftercare system for people affected by crime. These were:

• Improvements to the Victim Care Card;
• Communication needs; and
• Use of language.

Victim Care Card

43% of respondents who had been a victim or witness of crime said they did not receive a Victim Care Card. 14% said they were offered the card and 5% could not remember.

It is important to consider that these findings were from a small number of respondents, therefore this does not necessarily reflect the experiences of everyone who has been affected by crime. However, responses still highlight main areas where we can drive change and improvement to ensure everyone affected by crime receives the best possible aftercare.

Respondents also highlighted that they would like to see changes to the formatting and layout of the card. Suggestions included:

• Providing more relevant information on the card;
• An inclusive and easy-read version for people who require further assistance; and
• An electronic version of the card – with up to date digital information easily accessed online. Over half (57%) of respondents said this would be ‘extremely helpful’ or ‘helpful’.

Communication needs

Our interviews and focus groups highlighted issues around communication between services and people who use them, with some participants not feeling supported in their aftercare journey. Some shared feelings of isolation, particularly because they were not kept up to date with developments in their case. Overall, responses show that people would like to see a more cohesive approach to the aftercare system, particularly with support following the reporting of a crime being seamless and connected.

Use of language

Another area for consideration was the use of language, particularly when handling incidents with people affected by crime. Many respondents did not want to be identified as ‘victims’, especially due to a perceived stigma associated with the term, and called for a change in the language used around being affected by crime. Consensus was not reached on what a better term might be, with many also not associating with the term ‘survivor’.

Ultimately, language was strongly associated with how people feel they are perceived. Respondents stated that they just want to be treated like a person who has experienced something awful – and get the best help possible from police and support services to reduce the wider impact on their lives.

Learning from the results of our work with our communities, we are taking the following actions:

• Review of the Victim Care Card and the process of issuing cards to people who experience crime.
• Review our aftercare policy which guides how police officers engage with people who have experienced crime directly, making best use of all referrals to organisations which meet people’s individual needs and circumstances.
• Utilise new digital capabilities which help us understand referrals in different areas, with focused initiatives to support referrals to victim support services and increase uptake in areas where this is lower.
• Engage public and third sector partners to ensure that findings from recent research on accessibility and formats of information provided by organisations is included in the steps we take.
• We will also share the findings from this work with the Scottish Government and other agencies.

Police Scotland’s Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division are now leading all of this work to make improvements in the way we do aftercare.

Early insights have already been shared and discussed at a bi-annual event between Victim Support Scotland and Police Scotland. Results have also been shared with Police Scotland’s Strategic Leadership Board (which is where all Assistant Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Officers and the Chief Constable discuss important issues for the organisation each month).

A full report will also be shared at Police Scotland’s next Public Confidence Governance Board later in 2021 and reported in the Quarter Three report to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee (this is publicly available and more information is available on the SPA website).  

Looking for our current LIVE Your Police survey? Click here. If you'd like to find out how we responded to what you told us last year, read on! 

In April 2020, Police Scotland refreshed its local policing survey to gather views from Scotland’s diverse communities. Your Police 2020/2021 remained open throughout the year (it closed on 5 April 2021) and helped us understand your opinions of policing in your local area, as well as enable you to tell us about any concerns affecting your safety or wellbeing in your local area.

Your feedback helped us make sure that our approaches to policing were fair, in terms of how we are managing the Coronavirus pandemic, and by supporting the communities that we serve.

If you missed your chance to take part in Your Police last year, don't worry; you can take part in our new Your Police 2021/22! Don’t miss out on your chance to have your say and let us know how we’re doing in your community.

Strong levels of public confidence in the police was reported with the majority of people supporting our approach to keeping people safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In total, we received 36,542 responses over 12 months, including over 100,000 free-text responses. There were 1,867 responses received in March 2021 – highlighting the continued dedication of local policing divisions in listening to the communities they serve.

In the main, people say they have confidence in us, with the average public confidence level for the period April 2020 – April 2021 being broadly consistent at 57%. Confidence levels among organisations who responded to Your Police (277 organisations) continues to be higher than average at 71%. 

We learned that things which effect public confidence include changes to Covid-19 transmission rates locally and nationally, local lockdowns (Protection Level 4) and the national lockdown which began in January 2021. We also know that events taking place in local areas that attracted a large police presence had an impact on public confidence. Public confidence exists across all of our 13 local policing divisions.

The majority of the people who responded to Your Police told us that they feel safe in their local areas – an average of 84% of people said they felt safe. This has remained the case throughout the past year. However, we know that fear about the spread, or potential spread, of Covid-19 sometimes made some people feel less safe.

Overall, 62% of those who took part in Your Police told us that police are friendly and approachable. 38% of people said that the police listen to the concerns of local people and 34% said the police deal with local issues. Throughout the year, a large number of the public said that they ‘don’t know’ when asked about these measures. This highlights an opportunity for us to enhance and expand our engagement within Scotland’s diverse communities.

46% of people told us their concern about crime had remained the same (as before April 2020). Three in ten people said that their concerns about crime had increased during the pandemic (30%), while around one in ten said it had decreased (14%). We know that people with disabilities and those who live in our most deprived areas have more concern about crime. This is very important to us.  

Generally, people’s concerns have included: social distancing breaches and antisocial behaviour (including at local beauty spots and public parks/greenspace), speeding and dangerous driving, house break-ins, drug taking, dealing and wider vulnerability concerns of relatives and neighbours. Greater engagement being required with children and young people, including those who support them - such as youth workers, teachers, and sports clubs - was also highlighted.

For more information, including graphs and other insights, are available here.

We sought views that would help us shape the use of Body Worn Video (BWV) by armed policing officers when interacting with the public. We felt it was important to engage and involve individuals, communities, and our partners to gain their views and measure their confidence in how we use technology and continue to police by consent.

We received almost 9,000 responses to our survey. This illustrated the large public interest in this topic and the public’s motivation to continue to be involved in the development of Police Scotland’s policies across both geographic and demographic communities, including a notable proportion of respondents: with a disability or long-term health condition (18%); currently employed by Police Scotland (15%); and under the age of 29 (17%).

We found that:

• A large majority of respondents (73%) reported that the use of BWV would help them feel safer.
• 58% respondents said they would feel “much safer” with a smaller number saying they would feel “slightly safer” (15%). A quarter reported it would make them feel “neither more or less safe”;
• Nine in ten respondents reported that BWV should be used “always” (74%) or “often” (16%);
• 78% of respondents reported that knowing interactions with the public are recorded would increase their trust and confidence in Police Scotland.

Your views have informed the decision making process as we move forward to the next stage in the delivery of BWV to our armed police officers across Scotland. Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, armed police officers were equipped with BWV, which was a success.

We understand that we need to understand more about this topic before BWV is rolled out more widely. Further public engagement is being undertaken before we introduce BWV in other areas of policing, including for our response officers across local policing divisions. This engagement will involves our stakeholders, a public survey and focus groups with our diverse communities - all of which are already underway.

In December 2019 the Scottish Government updated its Strategic Police Priorities, prompting a refresh of the Scottish Police Authority's and Police Scotland’s strategic police plan and long term strategy for policing.

The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland wanted to gather views of the communities of Scotland on our long term strategic direction.

The strategy, Policing for a safe, protected and resilient Scotland, was developed around five strategic outcomes, which describe the positive impact we are seeking for the people and communities of Scotland, as well as officers and staff:

• Threats to public safety and wellbeing are resolved by a proactive and responsive police service
• The needs of local communities are addressed through effective service delivery
• The public, communities and partners are engaged, involved and have confidence in policing
• Our people are supported through a positive working environment enabling them to serve the public
• Police Scotland is sustainable, adaptable and prepared for future challenges

Your opinions make sure that our plan fits with expectations and enables continued collaboration, and that we are able to identify any areas of the plan that require to be amended or strengthened.

We received a strong level of support for the approach set out.  This provides us with the assurance that these approaches have support and confidence from the public and partners.

The percentage of respondents who ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ were:

• Outcome 1: Keeping people safe – 80%
• Outcome 2: Communities are at the heart of policing – 76%
• Outcome 3: How we involve you – 75%
• Outcome 4: Supporting our people – 75%
• Outcome 5: Sustainable policing for the future – 70%

1,451 responses, including approximately 2455 free text responses, were received. These responses allowed us to gain a more in-depth understanding of respondents’ views. Comments were reviewed against the draft Joint Strategy for Policing and allowed us to make changes that reflected your views.

In addition to this feedback, we also considered feedback from key partners before the plan was finalised and approved by the Scottish Police Authority on 25 March 2020.

The comments received will also inform future strategic work, such as our approach to cybercrime.

You can read the final strategy here. It is also attached at the bottom of this page, alongside a summary report of the consultation and an Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment summary report.

We are grateful to all who participated and thank you to all who indicated they would like to continue to engage with us in the future.

Police Scotland asked how you want us to engage with you about football policing to help us to write a new engagement strategy which will make sure football supporters and our communities are involved in how Police Scotland works at football.

We asked for details of any experience of football-related engagement you have already had with Police Scotland, including what you thought we did well and what we did not do well, along with suggestions for improvement.

We asked if you wanted to hear from us about football policing and suggested some outcomes that could be worked towards.  For those who do want to hear from us, we asked for opinions on some suggested outcomes, what topics you would like us to engage with you about and how you want us to do this. 

Your opinions and suggestions will make sure that our football engagement strategy will be directed at meeting the needs of football supporters and the wider public as well as encouraging positive relationships between police and public at football. 

We received 6,817 responses from a mix of football supporters (95%) and non-football supporters (5%) and 57% of those who replied live or work in an area where football takes place. 

77% of people said they had not previously engaged with Police Scotland about football. Of those who have previously engaged, it is clear that many of your experiences have not been positive and this is something we will try to improve on in future.  

41% of football supporters said that they want Police Scotland to engage with them about football policing in the future. The most popular methods are:

• for the engagement to be carried out via their club - 30%
• using Police Scotland local social media accounts - 20%
• passing on information from other sources such as traffic and travel information - 16%
• face-to-face meetings - 15%    

6,817 responses were received by the deadline. 

We have published our Football Engagement Strategy - this can be downloaded from the 'Related' section below.

We listened to everyone's feedback and incorporated this into the development of our strategy. If you have any questions, please contact us using the contact details on this page. 

We are grateful to all who participated and thank you for taking the time to provide such a wide range of responses.

Police Scotland wanted to introduce new strategic outcomes for policing that describe the impact and difference Police Scotland aims to make to the lives of people across Scotland. These are:

• Threats to public safety and wellbeing are resolved by a responsive police service           
• The needs of local communities are addressed through effective service delivery            
• Public and communities are engaged, involved and have confidence in policing 
• Our people are supported through a positive working environment enabling them to serve the public
• Police Scotland is sustainable, adaptable and prepared for future challenges

We asked for opinions from people across Scotland on our proposed outcomes, our approach, and how you want to be involved in working with us to continue to shape future services. We were also keen to hear views to help shape our future strategies in respect to prevention and public contact and engagement.

Your opinions make sure that our plan fits with expectations and enables continued collaboration, and that we are able identify any areas of the plan that require to be amended or strengthened.

We received a strong level of support for the approaches set out.  This provides Police Scotland with the assurance that these approaches have support and confidence from the public and partners.

The percentage of respondents who ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ were:

• Our policing priorities: 87%
• Outcome 1 – Keeping people safe: 86%
• Outcome 2 – Communities are at the heart of policing: 82%
• Outcome 3 – Contacting and talking to us: 79%
• Outcome 4 – Supporting our people: 81%
• Outcome 5 – Meeting demand: 74%

1,995 responses were received by the deadline, with some extra received after this point. Many respondents also provided comments which were reviewed against our draft Annual Police Plan 2019/20.

In addition to this feedback, we also considered feedback from the Scottish Police Authority and other key partners before the plan was finalised and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 29 March 2019.

The comments received will also inform future strategic work, including on public contact and engagement and prevention.

We are grateful to all who participated and thank you to all who indicated they would like to continue to engage with us in the future.

The 2018/19 Annual Police Plan (APP) sets out our priorities for policing and explains how we will deliver them over the forthcoming year. It offers a significant opportunity to improve how we serve the public and our communities.

We engaged with the public and partners to develop the final plan. Through this survey, we asked for views on our planned activities for the 2018/19 period. These related to the following priorities: Violence, Disorder and Antisocial Behaviour; Serious Organised Crime; Counter Terrorism; Protecting People at Risk of Harm; Road Safety and Road Crime; Acquisitive Crime.

We also welcomed any other comments.

The six week engagement period resulted in a total of 1102 responses from a wide range of partner agencies/organisations, as well as individual members of the public. The level of response, over the 6 six week period, compared favourably to other similar surveys or consultations run in recent years in Scotland.

These figures represent a strong level of support for the approaches set out within the APP and this provides Police Scotland with the assurance that these approaches have the support and confidence of the public and partners.

All responses have been reviewed and considered as the final version of the APP was developed. The detailed responses have also been shared with internal divisions and departments to enable further local engagement and continuous improvement.

The APP was laid before Parliament on 29 March 2018 and published on the Police Scotland website. A report with more details of the survey is available below.

In line with Police Scotland's 2026 Strategy, and to ensure our service is sustainable and appropriate for local needs, 53 premises across the country were identified for potential disposal without affecting the delivery of operational policing for local communities. Through public consultation, and engagement with communities, partners, stakeholders and elected officials, we sought the opinion of people from across the country as to whether there was support for the disposal of these premises.

Through the consultation, which received 1,731 responses, there was support for the disposal of 49 of the 53 properties.

The four properties where public feeling was against their disposal - Lairg in Sutherland, Lochboisdale on South Uist, and Dunvegan and Broadford on the Isle of Skye - will remain part of the Police Scotland Estate for the time being. Further detailed engagement with the relevant communities and partners will be carried out to try to find a solution which makes best use of these empty properties.

Policing 2026 is a collaborative and strategic programme of work by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Police Scotland, intended to transform policing in Scotland over the next decade.

Between February and May 2017 we asked the public, our staff, stakeholders and our partners for views on our draft strategy document, in particular:

• whether it identified and acknowledged the main risks, challenges, opportunities and demands that are likely to impact on policing over the next 10 years
• whether the main areas of focus and methods proposed are the right ones to deliver an improved policing service
• about using public confidence as a key measure of success and effectiveness of performance
• our approach to re-shaping our organisation with a workforce focussed on having the right skills and capacity to meet future challenges
• if the strategy document was presented in a clear and understandable way

We also welcomed any other comments on the strategy and its impact.

We received 1715 responses to the consultation, supplemented by additional feedback we gathered from events and other activity with our staff, partners and the public, both before and during the consultation.

The strategy was well received with the majority agreeing with our proposals and approach across all questions.

Feedback was generally very positive about the vision set out in the strategy, the means of achieving it, and prospects for delivering sustained excellence in service and protection for the people of Scotland.

We undertook detailed analysis of the responses to the consultation and reviewed the strategy document against the feedback received.

As a result of the positive responses received there was no need to change the main elements of the strategy.

Some recurring themes were identified as a result of our analysis and you will see a stronger emphasis on the recognised value of our volunteer and charitable partners across the country. We have also reinforced our continued commitment to community planning to best serve local communities and to recognise the needs of our remote and rural communities. We have made more specific reference outlining our commitment to staff welfare and we have expanded on financial planning in response to comments about the future of police budgets over the next decade.

This helpful and constructive feedback about how we take the final strategy forward will also be built this into our implementation planning and future delivery.

The analysis report and responses to the consultation have now been published.