Partners in scrutiny: Local police governance arrangements in Scotland

In 2013 Scotland’s eight regional police services were amalgamated into a single (central) organisation called Police Scotland. Formal police governance and accountability functions were moved from the eight local Police Boards under the old structure, to a new centrally located organisation: the Scottish Police Authority. However, it was maintained that this restructuring would nonetheless enhance local governance and accountability through the creation of a police Local Commander role, acting as a direct link between police and local government (structured around thirty two distinct authorities) through new Partners in Scrutiny committees. This paper explores how local governance and accountability was negotiated under arrangements in which formal power and decision-making had moved to the centre. Despite an initial period in which local input into police governance appeared to be slight at best, we chart the processes through which police, SPA and local committees evolved their respective roles and structures to accommodate local governance and accountability.