Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what input its ministers have had into the development of Police Scotland’s Unacceptable Actions by Complainers Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly. These arrangements are in place to ensure public confidence that the police act independently, free from unwarranted Ministerial interference. This means the Scottish Government cannot interfere in operational policing matters, including their Standard Operating Procedures.