Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be an agreed standard for the wearing by Police Scotland of dress uniforms for passing out parades at the Scottish Police College and for high-profile public events, and whether it can instruct the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to adopt such a standard, in light of such policies reportedly being adopted by other police forces in the UK.
Uniform and appearance standards for Police Scotland are a matter for the Chief Constable. It is vitally important that the Chief Constable has the flexibility, subject to risk assessment, as to the appropriate uniform for specific events.
Police Scotland have a Standard Operating Procedure in place which states that dress uniforms shall only be worn on formal occasions or as directed by the Chief Constable, for example at passing out parades at the Scottish Police College. The Standard Operating Procedure can be found at: [ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Review Template (scotland.police.uk) ]