Members of the public, community groups, elected representatives and other interested parties are being urged to take part in an online questionnaire about the operation of the organisation which oversees policing in Scotland.

The questionnaire has been launched to let people pass comment on how the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is fulfilling its core role.

The information received by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland via this questionnaire will be used to inform the statutory inspection of the SPA which it is currently undertaking.

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Mrs Gill Imery QPM, said: “A wide cross section of the general public, groups and organisations have an interest in the role of the SPA. We are keen to understand how the SPA is perceived and want to hear from people. Police officers and staff, present and past, may wish via the questionnaire to highlight areas which may be relevant to our review. It is now available to use and people will be able to submit their comments any time until midnight on Friday 19 July.

“It contains a number of questions which we hope will assist people in telling us about their views and experiences of the SPA and there is also provision for them to make a general comment. The information which we receive this way will help highlight any potential strengths and weaknesses within SPA.

“I can give an assurance that all responses will be treated in confidence, only for the purposes of this inspection and will not be shared with any other organisation.”

Due to the anonymity provided by the survey, HMICS will not be able to provide individual feedback or investigate any complaints.

The aim of the HMICS strategic review is to assess how effective and efficient the SPA is in fulfilling its core role and it will not be inspecting day to day operations of the organisation in detail. The SPA’s role, responsibilities and relationships with Police Scotland, Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament and the separation of politics and policing will be examined. HMICS will also consider the interdependence of the SPA, the operational responsibility of the Chief Constable and how the SPA exerts governance.

During the inspection, HMICS will engage with key groups and stakeholders and attend SPA committee and Board meetings. The information received and gathered will be in addition to any information supplied confidentially via the online questionnaire.

The full HMICS report will be published in September 2019.

The survey can be provided in alternative languages, please contact hmicssurvey@gov.scot

https://response.questback.com/isa/qbv.dll/ShowQuest?QuestID=5367087&sid=nmGUpAFA78