Digital, Data and Technology Strategy 2025-2028

Thank you to for giving us your feedback on our draft Digital, Data and Technology Strategy 2025 - 2026. 

We received 1,157 responses to our online survey.  This feedback came from individual members of the public across Scotland and from organisations and groups working with people who might be impacted by our decisions.

We adjusted the strategy to take account of your feedback, and we’re pleased to say that the strategy was considered and approved at the SPA Board Meeting on 24 September. View SPA Board meeting and papers.

We asked for your views to help us develop our Digital, Data and Technology Strategy 2025-2028.

The strategy plays a vital role in enabling our 2030 Vision for policing in Scotland of safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce.

In an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving public expectations, the role of digital and data within policing has never been more critical.

The refreshed strategy sets out our renewed vision for harnessing technology and information to enhance operational effectiveness, improve public trust and confidence, and support our workforce in delivering outstanding policing services.  Key to this refresh is a renewed commitment to ethical data use, robust governance, and inclusive design.

Most of you were supportive of proposed direction of the strategy and your feedback demonstrated broad confidence in the vision and its core objectives. 

Most of you believed that the use of digital, data and technology would improve policing by minimising administrative tasks and streamlining processes, preventing and detecting crime, releasing officers back to the street, improving trust and confidence in policing and improving contact and communication, including improving data sharing between stakeholder organisations.

Whilst there was broad agreement, we do recognise that agreement comes with limits.  A smaller proportion of you lacked trust and confidence that it would be used in the right way and were worried that it might make things worse.  Many of you told us that you did not want to see the more efficient use of technology, data and AI to replace police officer interaction with the public or reduce the number of police officers on the streets.

Overall, your feedback tells us that most of you associated digital, data and technology with making policing more efficient and effective. However, this support was dependent upon certain conditions.

You said we need to:

• Simplify language and use less technical jargon.
• Provide reassurance that policing would maintain a human presence and not reduce numbers of officers on the street.
• Reassure that we will have robust data governance and privacy safeguards.
• Ensure we have strong ethical commitments within the strategy.

• The wording in the strategy has been strengthened throughout based on the feedback and to make it clearer.
• We have added to the strategy our commitment that AI and automation are about freeing officer and staff time rather than as a replacement for human interactions or presence.
• We have added wording to the strategy emphasising our commitment to ethical assessment and approval of AI-based solutions prior to introduction through our Rights Based Approach, ensuring public confidence and legal compliance in AI-based solutions.
• We have provided a section within the report on ‘Funding Principles and Governance’ detailing that robust governance processes will take place to ensure transparency and accountability.