Our organisation

We aim to increase public confidence in policing through independent scrutiny of police actions and promoting continuous improvement.

Our values

We have three core values:

  • Integrity: we are honest, open and accountable
  • Impartiality: we carry out our work fairly and independently. We ensure all evidence is considered objectively and decisions are based on sound, professional judgement
  • Respect: we treat everyone with courtesy and dignity, irrespective of their background and needs
Our Strategic Plan

Our strategic priorities

  • Deliver timely and high-quality investigations.
  • Deliver timely and high-quality Complaint Handling Reviews and audits.
  • Support, value and invest in our staff.
  • Strengthen independent investigation and oversight of complaints.
Image showing open hands to represent transparency and independence in our work

Transparent and open

We are transparent and open about the information we hold.

We want to help you to find the information you are interested in. There are a few ways you can do this:

  • Freedom of Information (FOI): Before you make an FOI request, please check that the information you would like is not already available.
  • Publications scheme: Our publications scheme is called our Guide to Information. It lists all the information we make available to the public.
  • Subject Access Request (SAR): You can also request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. This is called a Subject Access Request.
How we are transparent and open

Our impact

We aim to achieve two key outcomes through the work that we do:

  • Improve policing in Scotland.
  • Increase public confidence in the police.

Our two main services, Investigations and Complaint Handling Reviews, deliver recommendations to change and, where appropriate, introduce new operating procedures and policies.

These recommendations are shown in a selection of the reports we publish.

The implementation of these recommendations highlights the impact of our work.

Published reports

Please do not include any personal information, for example information about a complaint or investigation you are involved in. If you would like to share any important information with us, please visit our Contact us page to find out how to get in touch.