NOTEBOOK

Round-up of policing and justice developments 

Sensible Soccer

US law enforcement agencies tasked with keeping order at the next World Cup have visited Scotland for lessons in policing football matches.

Police Scotland’s International Academy linked up with the Scottish Football Association, Rangers and Celtic to lay on a five-day programme at Tulliallan for 23 delegates.

A follow-up visit is expected to involve US and Canadian participants observing the policing of an Old Firm fixture.

The World Cup will be the biggest ever and takes place across Canada, Mexico and the US next summer.

Police keeping tabs on grooming gangs inquiry despite government snub…

Police Scotland is pressing ahead with its own work into so-called grooming gangs despite the Scottish Government’s refusal to hold an inquiry.

A force report said it is a “learning organisation” and there is “ongoing engagement” with the National Crime Agency on the matter.

It also acknowledged the issue has financial, reputational and social implications for police in Scotland.

The row has stoked fierce political debate across Britain, with the UK Government eventually agreeing to a full-scale inquiry into gangs which targeted vulnerable underage girls at scale.

But so far, the Scottish Government has refused to follow suit.

… and officers focus on Vietnam in abuse clamp down

An initiative to tackle violence against women and girls is looking at why so many victims come to Scotland from Vietnam.

Several recommendations have been set out in relation to protecting vulnerable females.

They include supporting women to exit prostitution, ramping up efforts to pursue rapists and sex attackers, and identifying girls who may be at risk online.

But officers are also concerned about the number of women and girls arriving from the Southeast Asian country.

The force is seeking a “greater understanding of the drivers for Vietnamese women and children’s migration to Scotland with the intention to effectively pursue and deter those involved in their trafficking and exploitation”.

Justice rises up Holyrood agenda

Scotland’s two main opposition parties have increased their focus on justice issues at Holyrood in a sign that the issue will dominate next year’s election campaign.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has launched a policy paper targeted at what he called the SNP’s “soft-touch agenda”, proposing regular police patrols on streets and tougher punishments for antisocial behaviour offences and knife crime.

Meanwhile Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told MSPs that “John Swinney’s record on justice is nothing short of criminal”.

The First Minister said recorded crime is at the lowest level since 1974.

Transport police fears over staffing shortages

Transport police bosses are increasingly concerned about staff and resource shortages across the north of Scotland.

Train stations in Dundee and Perth are now considered “non-operational” from a British Transport Police (BTP) perspective, while there are “insufficient officers” in Inverness, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy and Stirling.

The organisation is expected to lobby Transport Scotland for more funding, while there are also fears BTP staff are leaving for better-paid jobs within Police Scotland or elsewhere on the rail network.

In one recent suicide incident in Aberdeen, there were no officers on duty to respond, meaning off-duty staff had to be contacted at home and called in.

Firearm frisks catch 12

A dozen people were caught with firearms through police stop and search operations in the first three months of this year.

Police officers successfully searched the individuals between January and March in areas across the country.

Nine males and three females were targeted, with the youngest a 15-year-old boy in Dumfries.

According to the data provided by Police Scotland, the numbers caught are broadly similar to the same period in 2024.

Rey of light

Police and music fans have been praised after a record-breaking concert by US pop icon Lana Del Rey passed off peacefully.

The 15,000 spectators who travelled by train to Hampden Park in Glasgow for the June gig represented the highest number of passengers ever for an event of its kind.

It was one of many high-profile summer spectacles which took place without significant criminal incident.

A police report states: “Planning meetings in the run-up to the event meant there were adequate resources to police in an effective and flexible manner on the day.”

County Lines intel influx

Police expect to receive a “significant increase” in intelligence relating to ‘County Lines’ activity following an engagement scheme in the Highlands.

Gangs from big UK cities like Liverpool frequently travel to small Scottish communities, recruiting local youngsters to help sell and distribute drugs.

A disruption plan has included handing local workers and rail passengers around 400 leaflets, while there has been a rise in visible police patrols.

“This joint effort is expected to lead to a significant increase in intelligence submissions,” according to a report.

Malawi link-up praised, but lays bare cultural challenges

A detective constable who visited Malawi as part of an international programme has provided colleagues with a frank review of the experience.

DC Ruth Elder submitted a detailed report after spending time in Africa last December as part of Police Scotland’s Malawi and Zambia programme.

The purpose of the arrangement is to train and educate African officers while exposing Scottish officers to a new culture and experience.

Elder said she felt “respected, seen and heard” and praised the female participants seeking to progress through the ranks.

However, she also encountered heavily-armed police asleep under trees, as well as officers “who struggled to make sense of Scottish attitudes towards rape in marriage, homosexuality and human rights”.

“My police career to date has afforded me many humbling experiences, unique opportunities and has tested my resilience on numerous occasions,” she said.

“But I am confident little else will come close to my time in Malawi.”

Bravery awards for hero members of the public

Four Scots who put their own safety on the line to rescue others have been recognised in national bravery awards.

The quartet were honoured at the recent National Police Chiefs’ Council annual awards.

They included Rory and Andrew Macgregor, a father-and-son duo who rescued children from a house fire in Perthshire.

Karen Dunnet, who saved people trapped inside a burning car in South Lanarkshire, was also commended.

And Alan Wallace, who dragged a man ashore after he got into difficulty in a loch in Campbeltown, was recognised at the event.

Where there’s a will there’s no way

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has refused to reveal figures involving a suspected hike in will disputes – despite its UK equivalent reporting a 50 per cent increase.

In England, there has been a sharp rise in contentious probate matters – where beneficiaries of estates disagree or are challenged in court.

Experts blame several factors for the rise, including an ageing population with mental capacity concerns, a rise in re-marriages in later life, higher generational wealth, and the advent of DIY wills.

However, the SCTS said it could not reveal the numbers in Scotland because court records are exempt from freedom of information laws.

More than 2,000 cops on ‘modified duties’

The number of officers on ‘modified duties’ increased slightly to 2,253 at the end of June.

This is a rise from 2,183 at the end of June 2024.

Officers carry out modified or restricted duties if they cannot undertake the full range of duties, which can be the result of injury or illness.

As of June 30 this year there were also 656 officers on long-term sick leave.

Overtime and mental health absences soar

Police officers worked almost four and a half million hours of overtime over the last five years, according to new figures.

In 2024/25 alone, cops worked 773,151 hours of overtime – which cost over £28 million – the data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives shows.

The party’s justice spokesperson Liam Kerr said: “These figures expose the immense strain that Police Scotland officers are under, with millions of hours in overtime being notched up.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour separately published figures showing stress and mental health absences have soared by over 50 per cent.

Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “It’s clear police in Scotland are at breaking point.”

Police Scotland said health and welfare “remains one of [the force’s] highest priorities”, while the Scottish Government said it is investing a record sum in policing.

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