Scottish Police Authority

What Scottish Police Authority does

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is a statutory public body established on 1 April 2013 under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, headquartered at Clyde Gateway, Glasgow. It functions as the independent governance body for policing in Scotland, holding the Chief Constable to account, promoting policing principles, supporting continuous improvement, and keeping policing under review. The Authority is sponsored by the Scottish Government through the Justice portfolio, has a 12-member Board chaired by Alasdair Hay CBE QFSM, and operates under a Senior Leadership Team led by Chief Executive Chris Brown (appointed 1 October 2025).

Its core "product" is governance oversight delivered through statutory committees — Board, Audit Risk and Assurance, Resources, Policing Performance, People, Legal, Forensics Services, Complaints and Conduct, and Exceptional Circumstances — plus three operational arms. Forensic Services is the largest, providing DNA analysis, fingerprint examination, criminal toxicology, digital forensics, crime scene examination, and expert witness reporting across Scotland; significant operational improvements include a 67% reduction in post-mortem toxicology caseload (peak of 1,340 down to 445) and turnaround cut from 173 to 49 days. Independent Custody Visiting Scotland arranges volunteer welfare checks of police custody detainees. The Research and Evidence function delivers Public Polling, Community Confidence Action Research, Horizon Scanning, and the PEEL Practice Compendium.

The SPA does not operate on a commercial revenue model. It is funded by the Scottish Government, accountable to the Scottish Parliament through the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and operates within a regulatory perimeter including UKAS GEN6 accreditation and Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Code of Practice compliance (compliant determination for 2023/24). Customers and beneficiaries are the Scottish Government (funder), Police Scotland (the policing service under oversight), and the general public of Scotland, who rely on transparent, accountable policing governance. Its strategic suppliers and partners include Audit Scotland (financial audit), HMICS (inspection), PIRC (complaints handling), Grant Thornton (external audit support), and Scottish Government Justice Directorate (sponsorship and funding).

Name

Scottish Police Authority

Legal name

Scottish Police Authority

Website

https://spa.police.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Scottish Police Authority is the statutory public body that governs policing in Scotland, holding the Chief Constable to account and delivering national Forensic Services and Independent Custody Visiting, funded by the Scottish Government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety Governance

NAICS

Police Protection (92212), Public Administration (92), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Risk, Controls & Audit (Public Sector) (BPAIAEAH)

Keywords

• Policing governance services
• Forensic science services
• Independent custody visiting
• Public body oversight
• Policing performance scrutiny

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Scottish Government Funding: Funded by the Scottish Government as a statutory public body established by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Scottish Police Authority is a statutory public body that maintains policing in Scotland by holding the Chief Constable to account, promoting policing principles, supporting continuous improvement, and keeping policing under review. It also directly delivers national Forensic Services (DNA analysis, toxicology, digital forensics, fingerprint examination, crime scene investigation) and the Independent Custody Visiting Scotland scheme.

Product overview

The Scottish Police Authority is a public governance body, not a technology product company. Its core service offerings are organized around three main areas: (1) Forensic Services, a comprehensive suite of forensic science capabilities including Analysis, Search and Recovery Scenes, National Services, and Reporting modules; (2) Independent Custody Visiting Scotland, a volunteer-based custody welfare checking scheme; and (3) Research and Evidence services including Public Polling, Community Confidence Action Research, Horizon Scanning, and the PEEL Practice Compendium. The Authority does not offer commercial technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forensic Services Comprehensive national forensic science service delivering DNA analysis, fingerprint examination, criminal toxicology, digital forensics, and crime scene investigation across Scotland for Police Scotland and the criminal justice system.
• Independent Custody Visiting Scotland Volunteer-based scheme arranging unannounced visits to police custody suites in Scotland to check on detainee welfare and ensure proper treatment, with a public recruitment pipeline via the Become a Volunteer programme.
• Public Polling Regular public opinion research measuring confidence in policing across Scotland and gathering community feedback on policing priorities.
• Community Confidence Action Research Research initiatives designed to understand and improve public confidence in policing services across Scotland.
• Horizon Scanning Forward-looking research and analysis identifying emerging trends and challenges affecting policing in Scotland.
• PEEL Practice Compendium Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) assessment framework documenting policing practices and performance indicators for use across policing in Scotland.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Police ScotlandcoreOthersPolice Scotland is the primary service under SPA governance. The SPA holds the Chief Constable to account, promotes policing principles, supports continuous improvement, and keeps policing under review. This is a statutory governance relationship rather than a commercial partnership.
• Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS)coreOthersHMICS conducts inspection of Police Scotland and provides scrutiny reports that the SPA uses in its oversight functions. Independent inspection body for policing in Scotland.
• Audit ScotlandcoreOthersConducts financial and performance audits of the SPA and Police Scotland, providing independent assurance on public spending and governance.
• Police Investigations and Reviews Commissioner (PIRC)coreOthersPIRC has a role in considering complaints about policing in Scotland alongside the SPA. Contributes to the complaints handling framework.
• Scottish Government Justice DirectoratecoreOthersSPA is sponsored by the Scottish Government and receives funding through the Justice portfolio. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice makes appointments including the Chair.
• Scottish EnterpriseminorOthersBoard member Nicola Anderson serves as Director of Scaling Innovation at Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's economic development agency.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS): HMICS provides independent inspection of Police Scotland and policing standards in Scotland. It is the most direct functional peer to SPA, as both are independent statutory bodies exercising oversight and scrutiny over Scottish policing, and SPA consumes HMICS inspection reports in its governance work.
• Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC): The IOPC independently oversees police complaints and conduct investigations in England and Wales. It is the closest cross-jurisdictional counterpart to SPA's combined governance and accountability mandate, differing primarily in scope and statutory powers.
• Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC): MOPAC is the elected governance body that holds the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to account in London. Like SPA, it is a statutory oversight body for a national/regional police force, exercising governance, budget scrutiny, and strategic direction-setting functions.
• Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (various, e.g., Northumbria OPFCC): Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner offices across England exercise statutory governance over local police forces, holding Chief Constables to account and setting budgets. They are the closest English structural peers to SPA's governance role over a unified police service.
• Police Investigations & Reviews Commissioner (PIRC): PIRC independently investigates complaints about Police Scotland and reviews policing in Scotland. It operates alongside SPA within the same accountability framework for Scottish policing and shares a directly comparable mandate of independent police oversight.

Broad incumbents

• College of Policing: The College of Policing is the professional body for policing in England and Wales, setting standards, delivering training, and conducting research. It is comparable to SPA's standards-setting and research functions but operates as a broader, established institution with UK-wide reach.
• National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC): The NPCC coordinates UK police operations and sets national operational priorities. While SPA governs Police Scotland, the NPCC plays a coordinating and leadership role across UK forces, making it a comparable policing leadership body at a broader scale.

Others

• Audit Scotland: Audit Scotland provides independent assurance to the Scottish Parliament and taxpayers on public spending, including financial and performance audits of SPA and Police Scotland. It is an enabling oversight partner rather than a direct peer, providing external audit and scrutiny that supports SPA's accountability function.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScotPolAuth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ScottishPoliceAuthority
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/scottish-police-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Police Authority