By Jo Farrell
Chief Constable, Police Scotland
Meeting with our fantastic officers, staff and volunteers is one of the highlights of leading Police Scotland.
During 2024, I’ve heard directly from detectives, local policing officers, dog handlers, mounted officers, service advisers, special constables and more in every corner of Scotland, from Ayrshire to Lerwick, Aberdeen to Edinburgh, and Inverness to Forth Valley.
Time and again I’m hugely impressed and deeply grateful for the professionalism, compassion, passion and skill my colleagues bring to their work to provide our vital public service to keep our communities safe.
In our relentless and demanding role, colleagues are a source of inspiration and energy.
During the festive period, as they do throughout the year, our front line works around the clock to respond to threat, risk and harm, providing a service of safety and security for the public of Scotland.
I am hugely thankful to our officers, staff, and volunteers for the personal sacrifices they make throughout the year, the celebrations and milestones missed to do their duty.
That’s why I continue to prioritise our front line.
A thriving workforce is a key pillar of our vision and also a prerequisite to deliver on safer communities, less crime, and supported victims.
We are well into year one of our three-year business plan to progress a second phase of police reform, and work is already underway to strengthen our operational capacity and give our workforce the support and tools they need and deserve to do their jobs.
“I am hugely thankful to our officers, staff, and volunteers for the personal sacrifices they make throughout the year, the celebrations and milestones missed to do their duty”
This includes the work of our mental health taskforce to reset policing’s role in responding to mental-health related incidents.
We’re also driving progress on necessary criminal justice reform to improve the experiences of victims and witnesses, including police witnesses who spend too much time at court for trials that don’t go ahead.
We’re making good progress on a national roll out of body-worn video cameras, we’re developing an operating model that’s effective and sustainable, and we now have a 10-year strategic approach to creating a police estate that’s fit for purpose.
The Scottish Government has set out its budget proposals for 2025/26 and I welcome the ongoing support for this work, which was in response to a clear ask and a strong track record of policing reform in Scotland.
We’ll monitor progress on the budget closely and the crucial issue of additional National Insurance costs must be addressed. However, the proposals allow us to progress our plans and maintain a maximum of 16,600 officers in the year ahead.
As part of the budget, we’ll work closely with the Scottish Government and retailers to tackle shoplifting.
I will continue to advocate for policing to secure the support we need and drive police leaders to deliver necessary change to improve the experiences of our officers and staff.
My focus and priority as Chief Constable will be on strengthening our frontline and reconnecting with our communities.
I want to wish everyone all the very best for 2025.