The Scottish Government have launched an initiative to gather views on what the people of Scotland would like from their police service.
The information gathered will be used to develop new Strategic Policing Priorities, the framework set by the Scottish Government outlining their expectations for both the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.
The public consulation comes three years on from the creation of the national service.
In September, there was a local police scrutiny summit, led by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the ongoing local planning process led by Police Scotland.
A review of police governance, led by the Scottish Police Authority is due to report in March 2016, and there is also work ongoing to consider the changing demands on Scottish policing and produce a service fit for the 2st Century.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson said:
''Despite recent challenges, the fundamentals of policing in Scotland are sound. Crime is at its lowest levels in 41 years and we know that communities are increasingly confident about the way that crime is being tackled by our police. We’re entering into an exciting time for policing in Scotland and I am confident that, under a new Chief Constable with an extensive background in local policing, there will be a strong focus on the links between police and the communities that they serve.
''Policing has never been just about enforcement, and prevention and partnership are at the very core of Police Scotland, including the valuable partnerships between the service and the communities they serve. As the organisation develops and matures it must evolve to respond to the changes and demands being placed on it, and I look forward to hearing people’s views on how policing should develop to provide a modern, open and accessible service that best meets the needs of 21st Century Scotland.''
You can have your say by:
emailing: ScotPolicePriorities@gov.scot
via the Scottish Government Digital 'Dialogue' feedback platform https://ideas.scotland.gov.uk/
via twitter using the hashtag #ScotPolicePriorities
or you can post them to:
Strategic Police Priorities Review, Police Division, Scottish Government, 1WR St Andrews House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG
You can find out more about the background to Police Scotland from this Government website:
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