Thematic inspection of road policing in Scotland

Leadership and vision

• Police Scotland’s purpose and vision on road policing is clearly articulated and is aligned to Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030.
• Police Scotland has reduced the number of police resources dedicated to carrying out road policing duties, which raises questions regarding its contribution to supporting the objectives of the Road Safety Framework.
• Police Scotland engages well with external stakeholders on road policing. The relationships are well established and very positive.
• Police Scotland has an effective leadership and governance structure for road policing, as part of the wider Operational Support Division.
• Police Scotland has dedicated officers to a Policing Together Team to enhance the culture across Operational Support Division, including road policing.
• Police Scotland is committed to ensuring public accountability and transparency concerning its road policing service provision.
• Police Scotland has a good system of data gathering, analysis and prioritisation at a strategic level. Analysts review information, including that provided through collaborative partnerships, and provide robust data on collisions and casualties.
• Police Scotland is engaged in a wide range of activities with stakeholders, aimed at creating an organisational learning culture.
• Police Scotland has many creative and innovative projects designed to improve the safety of road users across Scotland, developed and delivered in conjunction with key partners.
• Police Scotland has a communications plan that utilises social media to good effect in promoting key road safety messages.

Delivery

• The specialist training available to road policing officers is of the highest standards.
• There is a considerable backlog and a lack of availability for training courses, which means many road policing officers are not able to fulfil certain aspects of their role, placing more demand on those who have been trained.
• Local policing officers are provided with limited road policing training, despite at times being required to work on the fast road networks across Scotland, increasing the risk to those officers.
• The number of officers required to attend court (and not provide evidence) is having a detrimental impact on the ability of Police Scotland to keep people safe on Scotland’s roads.
• The demand from escorting abnormal loads is affecting the ability of Police Scotland to keep people safe on Scotland’s roads. Police Scotland is the only UK police force that still performs this role.
• There is a lack of visible presence of road policing resources on Scotland’s roads. This adversely affects the ability of Police Scotland to deter dangerous driving behaviour.
• There are often insufficient road policing resources available to conduct pursuits, meaning this tactical option is often not available to the organisation.
• Police Scotland has evidence to suggest that drug driving is a significant risk to road users across Scotland, but is unable to tackle it effectively due to a lack of trained resources and forensic services capacity.
• The reduction in road policing posts has limited the opportunity to recruit people from under-represented groups.
• We found that, while officers and staff in road policing are very committed to their roles, many feel undervalued.
• Road policing vehicles are not equipped in a uniform and coherent manner, and the views of the officers using the vehicles and equipment are not taken into account.
• The road safety equipment fitted to, and available in, local policing vehicles is inconsistent and often insufficient.
• Road policing officers are thorough and professional in completing vehicle and equipment checks, whereas local policing officers are not completing such checks as regularly as required.
• Road safety is seen as a matter of priority for local communities across Scotland and features in local policing plans across the country.
• Police Scotland has clearly established road safety and road crime priorities at the local divisional level, which are aligned to national road policing strategic priorities.
• The level of engagement and collaboration between local policing and road policing varies greatly in quality and effectiveness across Scotland.
• The effectiveness of the relationship between the road policing department and the contact, command and control function in Police Scotland varies in quality and effectiveness in different parts of the country.
• Police Scotland has well-established effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in relation to road policing. The priorities of these stakeholders are discussed at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• The Transport Scotland liaison officer roles have contributed positively to partnership working.
• Police Scotland actively prepares for and responds well to major incidents and events on the roads, including during severe weather events.
• We identified acute resourcing issues in road policing, particularly in the north of Scotland during nightshift hours.
• The National Calendar of Road Safety Activity, led by Police Scotland, involves close liaison with Road Safety Scotland on road safety education programmes.
• The number of police referrals by Police Scotland to Brake’s National Road Victim Service, has been increasing in recent years, although the percentage of police referrals (as opposed to self-referrals) is still slightly below the UK average.
• Police Scotland is not using ANPR to its fullest effect compared with other UK police forces.
• Police Scotland has not sustained its fleet of safety camera vans, which has, at times, reduced its ability to fully deploy that resource.
• Police Scotland is the only UK police service that does not have a facility to allow members of the public to report road traffic offences by directly uploading journey-cam footage.
• Enforcement activity is carried out in line with the National Calendar of Road Safety Activity; this involves both road policing and local policing.
• We identified that local policing officers have limited opportunity to carry out proactive road policing enforcement activity.
• Police Scotland’s planning and performance processes are currently undergoing a review.
• There is a lack of dedicated analytical staff for road policing, and more analytical focus is required for road crime.
• There is a lack of effective tasking and coordination, and gaps in intelligence support, meaning limited evidence of proactive tasking to address road safety/road crime concerns.
• Police Scotland was slow to react to the introduction of The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Police Driving: Prescribed Training) Regulations 2023, which may have contributed to the backlog in police driver training courses.

Outcomes

• There is a strong perception among officers, staff and some partner organisations that road policing is a low priority for Police Scotland.
• The total number of casualties in Scotland has increased each year since 2020. In 2023, 155 people were killed and 1,930 people seriously injured on Scotland’s roads.
• Identification of road traffic offences has reduced significantly over the last 10 years (Scottish Government data shows a 63% reduction).
• The provision of educational courses, as an alternative to prosecution, has not yet been implemented to best effect in Scotland.
• We heard that the challenging targets set out in Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 are unlikely to be met.
• Road policing officers contribute to tackling serious and organised crime groups, with regular Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 cash and drug seizures.
• Police Scotland uses public surveys to help understand where improvements are required and to recognise good practice.
• There are insufficient family liaison officers to deploy to every fatality, meaning the service provided to the families of victims is inconsistent.
• It is imperative that a trauma-informed approach is adopted by officers who are supporting people affected by a serious road collision.
• Police Scotland engages with a range of partner organisations who represent vulnerable road users, to ensure their lived experiences inform future policing activity.