Policing plan and budget set for the coming year
Chief Constable Jo Farrell set out the policing approach for 2026-27 during a public meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board today, Wednesday, 25 March.
Chief Constable Farrell outlined her Annual Police Plan, while the budget for policing was also agreed at the session in Glasgow.
The annual police plan reflects an intense 2025-26 during which police officers, staff, and volunteers responded to high levels of demand, including an organised crime feud in the east and west of the country, increased protests, and a US Presidential visit.
The plan also reports on key milestones of our vision, including the first phase of a national body worn video roll out, which will equip over 10,000 officers by summer.
Scottish Government funding allowed policing to agree a balanced budget for the year ahead which, along with savings across overtime and staff budgets, enables Police Scotland to maintain officer numbers at around 16,500 in the year ahead.
Chief Constable Farrell said: “My Annual Police Plan and the Scottish Police Authority budget outline the priorities and approach for 2026-27 as we continue to make progress on our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce.
“We have developed a balanced budget which prioritises our frontline, and invests in estates and digital transformation.
“There have been some extremely difficult decisions, which are reflected in the budget document, including a 20% reduction in our overtime budgets and the release of temporary staff who were doing really valuable work. This budget enables us to maintain officer numbers at around 16,500 in 2026-27.”
Read the Chief’s regular report here. Her verbal update is below.
Recent weeks have underlined the dynamic, challenging, and broad range of crime and incidents police officers respond to, including the injury and attempted murder of people in Edinburgh, unacceptable violence and disorder during a football match, and supporting fire and rescue colleagues responding to a devastating blaze in Glasgow city centre.
During the same period, policing continued to investigate crime, making arrests in relation to the murder of Jordan Gray following a public appeal, and secure criminal justice outcomes, including the conviction and sentencing of David Campbell for the murder of Brian Low in Aberfeldy in February 2024.
I would take this opportunity to publicly reiterate the apology we offered to Mr Low’s family at conclusion of Campbell’s trial.
Our initial response fell short of what Police Scotland and the public rightly expects and we’ve since reviewed all policies and procedures around attendance at unexplained deaths.
Returning to my report and, earlier this month, following a complex investigation, Lee Milne was convicted of the culpable homicide of his wife Kimberley Milne who fell from a road overpass in Dundee in July 2023.
In the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland, and in close work with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, it was established that Lee Milne's behaviour in the time leading up to Kimberley's death placed her in such fear that she took action to get away from him which led to her death.
Police Scotland will continue to hold offenders accountable and play our part in building a society where women and girls can live free from violence and abuse.
My report also details County Lines enforcement which resulted in over 40 arrests, as well as dozens of vulnerable people, including children, safeguarded and illegal drugs, weapons, and cash seized.
Our commitment to tackling organised crime is also underlined by convictions in relation to wilful fire raising achieved under Operation Portaledge, with four men sentenced to a total of over 20 years imprisonment earlier this month.
The policing response to these matters provides some insight into the intense demand on policing throughout 2025-26 and I want to thank officers, staff, and volunteers who stood up well under that pressure.
As we deliver effective policing for communities, detailed planning has also been a focus for me.
Along with members of my senior team, and in close collaboration with the Authority, I have engaged extensively with government and parliament in recent weeks, including public evidence sessions with the Criminal Justice Committee and the Public Audit Committee, to respond to policing's funding allocation and the positive best value audit of policing.
These sessions have provided opportunities to highlight policing in Scotland's many strengths, as well as the challenges we are addressing and for which we request the support of partners and government.
My Annual Police Plan and the Scottish Police Authority budget outline the priorities and approach for 2026-27 as we continue to make progress on our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce.
This includes the ongoing national roll out of body worn video.
Just yesterday, we deployed this important technology into Glasgow (G) Division, with 2,000 devices being provided for officers and staff, taking the total to over 7,000 across the country so far.
We will conclude the national roll out of over 10,000 devices when we deploy into Renfrewshire and Inverclyde and Argyll and West Dunbartonshire next month.
Body worn video is helping to improve the quality of evidence presented in court, to deliver faster justice for victims by increasing early guilty pleas and reduce the time spent at court for victims, witnesses and police officers.
Introducing body worn video at scale across policing in Scotland has been a priority for me and I’m grateful to CDIO Andrew Hendry and his team who have pushed through this programme at pace over the last 12 months.
As part of my commitment to strengthening community policing, we have expanded implementation of a new approach into Tayside and Fife, following encouraging early assessment from a pilot in Forth Valley that we can provide victims with better service and reduce pressure on response officers.
This week, I met and thanked officers at Methil in Fife who were positive about the new community policing model and about the impact of body worn video, with one officer explaining that since the introduction of body worn video, they had not been cited for court.
With a strategic approach to our buildings, we can make best use of our capital budget and move at pace to give our people better accommodation and provide communities with the right services in the right locations.
A safe and secure country is a pre-requisite for supporting cohesive communities which can function, thrive, and flourish. In 2026-27, policing will enable candidates and citizens to campaign and exercise their democratic freedoms in May, and support Glasgow to host the Commonwealth Games in the summer.
Ring-fenced funding also supports us to continue our focus on shoplifting and violence against retail workers.
While responding to these pressures, and others which will emerge in year, Police Scotland will continue to drive further improvements with a relentless focus on prioritising frontline services.
We’ll work with partners to develop a new approach to roads policing, including using technology to streamline cases from the roadside through the justice system and increase the use of education and diversion.
We’ll continue to identify opportunities for how automation and AI can build efficiencies and continue to improve our public contact arrangements.
We will build on the progress of body worn video, the digitally enabled sharing capability, and better summary case management, as part of our commitment to work with prosecutors, the courts, and others, to improve the experience for victims and witnesses and create efficiencies across the criminal justice system.
Of course, later today we hope to agree our budget. At this stage, as Chief Constable, I would make a few comments about the work to develop the budget and some of the implications for policing.
A huge thanks to Sarah and the team who have turned over every stone to produce a balanced budget which prioritises our frontline, and invests in estates and digital transformation.
Getting to this stage has been a massive effort right across the Service, and there have been some extremely difficult decisions, which are reflected in the budget document.
This includes a 20% reduction in our overtime budgets and the release of temporary staff who were doing really valuable work, as well as a real grip on how we manage vacancies and recruit staff in the year ahead.
We have discussed the significant value delivered through overtime, particularly in the context of Operation Portaledge, as well as the overtime cost of managing protests and events and around officers attending court.
Colleagues released include civilian investigators, vetting staff, and production workers doing valuable work to address demand that would otherwise have placed further pressure on officers or led to increased backlogs.
I would also underline that any significant additional costs relating to public inquiries cannot be accommodated within our existing allocation, and also that we anticipate additional funding through the Spring Budget Revision to allow for the cost of new legislation.
We’re prioritising our transformation programme for 2026-27 and will focus on roles and projects which free-up frontline officers and staff’s time through better ways of working or by reducing demand.
We continue to invest in improving our estate to give officers and staff better accommodation and provide professional spaces for the public, as well as in body armour replacement, to maintain our fleet, and prioritisation of cyber security.
I’ve been clear that delivery of the vision is dependent on investment and improvements and that may be slower than we’d hoped.
Developing a budget which allows us to maintain officer numbers at around 16,500 in 2026-27, has not been without consequences.
I know the extremely challenging public finance outlook illustrated by the Scottish Spending Review, and we will build on our reputation for best value with a focus on medium-term financial planning, better workforce planning and management, as well as a further three-year business plan.
The frontline will continue to be my priority we’ll unlock capacity by getting more people back to work or deployed on full duties, and freeing-up officers from roles which don’t require warranted powers.
Balancing those imperatives with an understanding of the highly demanding nature of policing will be central to maintaining service for communities while developing a thriving workforce.
The officers, staff, and volunteers of Police Scotland will continue to be key to achieving these ambitions and it is positive that we will be able to maintain officer numbers in the coming year. We are recruiting officers, particularly in rural areas, and my report outlines our recent intake of new probationary constables.
I also highlight a number of awards, including my Bravery and Excellence Awards and recognition of one of our police dogs and their handler at Crufts.
I have said there is a hero made every day in policing and these are important and positive opportunities to pause and recognise the contribution of our workforce, and our police dogs and horses, make to keeping people safe.
I have been particularly encouraged by the focus and recognition of our response policing colleagues this year and I pay tribute to their resilience, professionalism, and skill in an intensely demanding role.
My focus, now and in the future, will be on supporting and leading our frontline to deliver efficient and effective policing which addresses threat, risk and harm to keep the people of Scotland safe.