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The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. In 2023, Police Scotland restructuring led to a new establishment figure of around 16,500 to 16,600 officers. The Scottish Government’s record investment of £1.55bn in 2024-25 has enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception, bringing officer numbers up to 16,508 at 31 December 2024.

Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 aims to make maximum impact with a workforce that has the right skills and capacity to keep people safe. Through workforce modernisation, they will reduce back-office duplication and create capacity to deal with new and increasing threats by moving more officers to frontline roles.

The Chief Constable has been clear that the context of frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount and that of a police workforce which includes police staff.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The use of telematics technology on police vehicles is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Outstanding warrants are an operational matter for Police Scotland and other relevant authorities.

Emergency early release regulations have been utilised twice within the last five years (May 2020 and June/July 2024).

Any individuals who were identified during the assessment process as having any outstanding warrants, or court processes, were not eligible for release during either emergency process.

Following a period of negotiation with the contractor Kier on the construction contract price, the total project cost of £998.4 million was confirmed in November 2024.

I received regular updates on the pricing and commercial process of the HMP Glasgow construction contract from the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service over the course of 2024. On 13 January 2025 Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs received formal advice confirming the total project cost £998.4m.

The construction contract is fixed price and the total project cost includes contingency for risk.

The Scottish Government supports the Police Scotland Fleet Strategy. Telematics is a key element of that Strategy which aims to provide a fit for purpose, safe, reliable, and cost-effective police fleet.

The Policy Memorandum for the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill set out the reasons the Scottish Government proposed to reduce jury size to 12. This included evidence from the independent Scottish Jury Research - gov.scot.

In its Stage 1 report the Criminal Justice Committee did not support the reduction in jury size. I therefore confirmed in my letter of 31 October 2024 to the Committee that, as I am satisfied that the abolition of not proven does not require an associated change to the jury size, I would bring forward amendments to retain a jury of 15, in line with the Committee’s position. I have tabled these ahead of the current Stage 2 scrutiny.

The SG recognises the harm to retail businesses caused by shoplifting and are fully behind the action Police Scotland and its partners are taking action to prevent it. There are complex reasons behind the increase and Police Scotland have been clear that they believe cost of living has also been a factor. We are making £3 million available in our budget for 2025-26 to help tackle the issue which costs businesses millions each year and has a knock-on effect on the prices we pay in the shops. Police Scotland will work in partnership with the retail sector on how best to use this additional funding for maximum impact.

We do not hold an estimate on the number of cases that the Commissioner will deal with in their first year in post.

The Commissioner’s functions and powers are set out in the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. The Commissioner will be independent from the Scottish Ministers, and will determine how to best exercise the functions of their role, in accordance to the Bill.

I have not met with the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, the Commissioner for Victims of Crime Northern Ireland or the Victims Commissioner, London since 29 March 2023.

The Scottish Government is committed to expanding electronic monitoring use across a broader range of licences and court orders, including exploring the use of new technology, such as remote alcohol monitoring, which is provided for by the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019.

Regulations came into force on 31 January 2025 which enable the use of GPS monitoring devices for those released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC). As work continues to embed these changes, we will engage with justice partners to explore the potential uses of new technologies, including both GPS and remote substance monitoring technologies. The functionality of GPS tags may have a role in helping to address particular behaviour associated with problematic alcohol use, for example, by excluding someone from a town centre on a Saturday night.