SPA Vice Chair Statement

At time of writing this report, COVID-19  has already had a dramatic impact on the personal and working lives of all of us and no doubt there will have been further impacts by the time of our Authority meeting on 25 March.

At a practical level for the Authority, we are of course following national guidelines and all of our meetings will be held via video or tele-conference until circumstances improve. We remain committed to conducting our business transparently, and will ensure that the proceedings of our meetings are communicated fully. More detail of our approach to this has been posted on our website.

The current emergency presents a huge challenge to operational policing. Many of us who are fortunate enough not to have our livelihoods placed at risk are also fortunate enough to be able to change our working arrangements and work remotely. This is not the case for most of our police officers and staff.

At this time more than any other, the public need the reassurance that the police service has sufficient capacity and visibility to protect their safety and wellbeing. I know that the Chief Constable and his leadership team are already taking all necessary measures to maintain the resilience of the force, and the Authority will do everything in its power to support that.

I have agreed with the Chief Constable that the Authority will not be introducing any additional oversight or scrutiny arrangements during this period, and that any reporting or requests for support which fall within the Authority's remit will be channelled through our existing procedures.

The Chief Constable and I will continue to be in regular contact and he and I will ensure that all necessary information and decisions will be brought to Authority Members expeditiously.

Our police service has a unique capability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and major events, as already demonstrated in the last year by Brexit planning and COP26. I know that the same will apply in the face of COVID-19.

David Crichton

Vice Chair, Scottish Police Authority