Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it or Police Scotland has undertaken of public confidence in the police since the creation of Police Scotland.
Since 2008-09, the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) has included questions on how confident respondents are in the ability of police in their local area across seven key areas (including preventing crime, catching criminals and supporting victims of crime). In addition, respondents have been asked since 2012-13 about how good a job they think the police in their local area are doing overall. The latest findings for the 2023-24 reporting year can be found here.
The next set of results from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey for the 2024-25 financial year will be published on 17 March 2026.
In addition to the above, Police Scotland collect views of the public through their own surveys, specifically their Your Police Survey and Local policing user experience survey (as part of their wider User Experience Surveys). Feedback from these surveys are regularly presented at the Scottish Police Authority's Policing Performance Committee. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) also conducts regular polling of Scottish adults (aged 16 and over) on policing in Scotland and other related interests. The SPA polling reports can be found here.