Consultation Hub

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.