Local communities asked for their views on the impact of police reform

04.11.2013

Do you think the newly merged Police Scotland has been good for your local community? People from across Scotland have been asked to make their views known to the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing today with the publication of a call for evidence on the impact of police reform on local policing.

Have you noticed any benefits since the newly merged national police force came into being on 1 April this year? As a member of a local authority or community planning partnership, have you noted any change? Or have you been at the sharp end of variations in policing practices in your area, for example, stop and search?

Committee Convener Christine Grahame MSP said:

“The aims of police reform relating to local policing were to protect and improve local services and strengthen the link between services and communities. We want to know how the newly merged Police Scotland force is bedding in across the country and whether people have noticed any benefits or deterioration in the service they have come to expect from their local police.

“There has already been a lot of coverage about the closure of police counters and the perception that policing practices are being standardised across the country at the detriment of local flexibility. We want to hear what is fiction and what is fact from the people on the receiving end of local policing. I’d encourage local communities across Scotland to make their views known to us.”

The call for evidence will close on 29 November 2013 and can be accessed here

Background

The Justice Sub-Committee on Policing was established to oversee the operation of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 as it relates to policing. The creation of the sub-committee meets a requirement set out in the 2012 Act for the Scottish Parliament to make arrangements for keeping under review and reporting on the operation of the Act. The Act replaces the eight territorial police forces in Scotland with one national force, the Police Service of Scotland, to be overseen by a Scottish Police Authority.

Members of the Sub-Committee have been selected from the Justice Committee, Local Government and regeneration Committee and the Equal Opportunities Committee to represent these committees’ interests in policing.