Crime and Justice : Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Crime and Justice : Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19 Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19 This bulletin forms part of the Scottish Government series of statistical bulletins on the criminal justice system. Statistics are presented on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts and on a range of measures available as alternatives to prosecution, which are issued by the police and by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Detailed figures for 2018-19 are presented, along with selected trends for the last ten years. Further detailed tables are published as background statistics on the Scottish Government Crime and Justice Statistics website. A total of 89,733 people were proceeded against in Scottish criminal courts in 2018-19, a fall of 6% on 2017-18 (95,557 proceedings). The number of convictions fell at the same rate (6%) down to 78,503 in 2018-19 (from 83,179 in 2017-18). This continues the general downward trend of the last ten years with the exception of a short term rise in court activity between 2012-13 and 2014-15 (Chart 1). Convictions in 2018-19 were 35% lower than the ten-year high of 121,041 in 2009-10. Chart 1: Number of people proceeded against and those convicted 160 Proceeded against 140 120 Thousands 100 80 Convictions 60 40 20 0 Contents Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19 ........................................................... 1 Contents ................................................................................................................... 2 Key points ................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 8 Changes made to this year’s report ........................................................................ 8 Routes through the Criminal Justice System .......................................................... 8 Commentary .............................................................................................................. 14 1. Trends in people proceeded against and convicted ......................................... 14 2. Trends in conviction rates .................................................................................. 14 3. Acquittals by crime type ..................................................................................... 15 4. People convicted by court type.......................................................................... 16 5. People convicted by crime/offence.................................................................... 18 6. People convicted by crime group ...................................................................... 19 7. People convicted by offence group ................................................................... 21 8. Headlines in court sentencing ........................................................................... 23 9. Custodial Sentences .......................................................................................... 24 10. Custodial Sentences by type of crime ............................................................. 27 11. Community Sentences ..................................................................................... 32 12. Financial penalties and other sentences ......................................................... 34 13. Aggravations .................................................................................................... 35 14. Age and Gender ............................................................................................... 37 15. Police Disposals ............................................................................................... 42 16. Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Disposals .................................. 46 17. Bail and undertakings ...................................................................................... 50 Tables – also provided on accompanying spreadsheet ..................................... 52 Background Notes ................................................................................................... 93 Annex A - Data Sources and Data Standards ...................................................... 93 Annex B - Data Quality, Data Processing and Data confidentiality ..................... 95 Annex C – Understanding the statistics in this bulletin and counting rules ......... 99 Annex D - Definitions, Classifications and Notation ........................................... 105 Annex E – Legislative and policy changes .......................................................... 114 2 3 Key points Court proceedings and convictions (Tables 1,2,3 and 4a-c) • A total of 89,733 people were proceeded against in court in 2018-19, a fall of 6% on 2017-18 (95,557 proceedings). The number of convictions fell at the same rate, down 6% to 78,503 from 2017-18 (83,179). In the same period, there was a 4% fall in the number of criminal reports received by COPFS. • The overall conviction rate has remained relatively stable over the last ten years, down slightly by two percentage points from 89% in 2009-10 to 87% in 2018-19. The rate remains unchanged compared to 2017-18. • The number of convictions for rape and attempted rape increased by 43% in 2018-19 to 152, compared to 106 in 2017-18, and 57 in 2009-10. This increase is greater than the change in the number of proceedings for these crimes, which is up by 32% from 246 in 2017-18 to 324 proceedings in 2018-19. • There has been an increase of 9% in the number of convictions for sexual crimes, from 1,112 in 2017-18 to 1,215 in 2018-19. This is driven by the increases in rape and attempted rape, and other crimes, which include “taking, distribution, possession etc of indecent photos of children”, and “communicating indecently”. • Convictions for non-sexual crimes of violence decreased by 3% in 2018- 19 to 1,781, compared to 1,829 in 2017-18. The number of convictions for homicide decreased by 9% to 81 convictions. The number of attempted murder and serious assault convictions was almost unchanged at 1,172, and convictions for robbery fell by 12% to 361, the lowest number this decade. • Convictions for crimes of dishonesty fell by 1% in 2018-19, down to 9,771 convictions from 9,862 in 2017-18. This continues the decline of the last ten years with convictions now 39% lower than in 2009-10 (15,951). 4 Court sentences (Tables 7 to 10) • The total number of convictions fell by 6%, however, those resulting in a custodial sentence increased by 2% (from 11,980 in 2017-18 to 12,220 in 2018-19). Custodial sentences represented 16% of all convictions in 2018- 19, up from 13% in 2009-10. • The average length of custodial sentence for all crimes, excluding life sentences, in 2018-19 was almost eleven months (326 days), which is 9 days (3%) longer than in 2017-18 (317 days). This continues the long-term upward trend in sentence length, with the average sentence length now 16% longer than in 2009-10 (281 days). • The crime type with the longest average sentences (excluding life sentences) in 2018-19 was rape and attempted rape, which increased by 2% to 2,626 from 2,578 days in 2017-18. • Sentences of 3 to 6 months have been the most common sentence length since 2011-12, accounting for 35% of all custodial sentences in 2018-19. Prior to 2011-12 sentences of up to three months were the most common custodial sentence, dropping from 38% in 2009-10 to 26% in 2018-19. • In 2018-19, 19% (15,206) of all convictions resulted in a main penalty of a community sentence. This is up five percentage points from 14% in 2009- 10, but down by two percentage points from 21% in 2017-18. • The overall 12% reduction in community sentences is driven by a 16% reduction in the number of Community Payback Orders, from 14,074 in 2017-18 to 11,803 in 2018-19. This contrasts with an increase in the use of other types of community sentences. There has been a 5% increase in the use of Restriction of Liberty Orders, from 2,712 to 2,840; and the number of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) increased from 497 in 2017-18 to 541 in 2018-19 (a rise of 9%). 5 Characteristics of offenders (Tables 5, 6, 8c, 10b, and 11) • The number of convictions per 1,000 population has declined over the last ten years from 25 in 2009-10 to 16 in 2018-19. This fall is driven by a decline for males, down to 27 convictions per 1,000 population in 2018-19 from 44 in 2009-10. The rate for females has also declined over the ten year period although more gradually, from eight convictions per 1,000 population in 2009-10 to five in 2018-19. • During the past 10 years, the number of convictions per 1,000 population for younger people (under-21s and 21-30s) has fallen much more quickly than the numbers for older people (those aged 31 and over). Nonetheless, in all but the oldest age-gender groups there has been a fall in the number of convictions per 1,000 people. • Whilst the number of convictions has fallen in all age and gender groupings apart from over-60s, the number receiving custodial sentences has increased for all age groups for males, and for females aged 31-40. Aggravations (Tables 12 and 13) • There were 9,210 convictions with a domestic abuse identifier recorded, a 7% decrease from 2017-18 (9,884 convictions). This is the fourth consecutive annual fall and, following the peak in 2014-15, numbers are now close to the level seen in 2009-10 (8,844 convictions). • The statutory domestic abuse aggravator was introduced in 2017-18, and was proven in 7,752 convictions
Recommended publications
  • Domestic Abuse 26
    Violence against Women and Girls Crime Report 2014-2015 Contents Foreword by the Director of Public Prosecutions 3 Executive summary 5 Introduction 14 Violence against women and girls 16 Domestic abuse 26 Stalking and harassment 40 Rape 45 Sexual offences (excluding rape) 64 Forced marriage, honour based violence and female genital mutilation 71 Child abuse 78 Human trafficking 86 Prostitution 90 Pornography and obscenity 93 Annex 1: Prosecutions by Area 98 Glossary of terms 106 Glossary of acronyms 112 2 Foreword by the Director of Public Prosecutions Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) cases are an increasing proportion of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) work. They give us some of the most complex and sensitive decisions to take. In 2014-15 we reached the highest volume ever of all VAWG1 police referrals, charged defendants, prosecutions and convictions. Work with the police has successfully reversed the fall in volumes identified by the CPS over the previous few years, culminating in the conviction of over 11,000 more defendants – a 17% increase since 2013-14. For domestic violence, rape, sexual offences and child abuse, convictions reached the highest volume ever. In total 68,601 defendants were convicted for domestic abuse, a rise of 10,325, just under 18% from the previous year. 2,581 defendants were convicted of rape, an increase of 233, just under 10%, since the previous year. 631 more defendants were also convicted for child sexual abuse – a 19% rise, reaching the highest level ever of 3,975. Prosecutions commencing, in respect of stalking and harassment offences, also rose by 15.1% in 2014-15 from 2013-14.2 The conviction rate for domestic abuse remained relatively steady at 73.9%, against the large rise in prosecution and conviction volumes that reached a record high.
    [Show full text]
  • The Scottish Criminal Justice System
    The Scottish Criminal Justice System Background The Act of Union 1707 between Scotland and England permitted Scotland to retain its separate legal system, which continued to be administered in Scotland. This meant that, even prior to devolution; the Scottish justice system had its own court system, its own police forces, its own prosecution service and its own prison and criminal justice social work services. The 1998 Scotland Act devolved a range of powers from Westminster to the reconvened Scottish Parliament, which included legislative powers to administer the Scottish legal system. Legislative powers over some areas, including terrorism and legal safeguards for human rights, remain reserved to the United Kingdom. In addition, the Supreme Court, which was established in October 2009, sits as a Scottish Court to hear appeals from civil cases arising in Scotland, and also hears criminal cases where human rights are at issue. However, in most cases, final appeals relating to criminal cases continue to be heard by Scottish courts (for more detail see Joyce, 2004 - book section available here). The 2008 Act also devolved executive powers to the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has overall responsibility for criminal justice in Scotland, which includes “the justice system, security, access to justice, criminal law and procedure, civil law, the police, the legal profession, courts, sentencing, prisons and prisoners, victims and witnesses, reducing reoffending, youth justice, criminal justice social work, community safety, fire and rescue services, anti-social behaviour, drugs policy, violence reduction, anti-sectarianism and liquor licensing” (Scottish Government website.) The Scottish Parliament is responsible for scrutinising the policy and legislative proposals of the Scottish Government, and the Justice Committee fulfils much of the scrutiny in relation to criminal justice.
    [Show full text]
  • Criminal Procedure in Scotland Edwin R
    Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 3 | Issue 6 Article 3 1913 Criminal Procedure in Scotland Edwin R. Keedy Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation Edwin R. Keedy, Criminal Procedure in Scotland, 3 J. Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 834 (May 1912 to March 1913) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE IN SCOTLAND 51h E DWIN iR. KEEDY, Northwestern University. TRIAL (srcoND DIE.T) 56 Preliminary Matters: The trial of the accused is either in the sheriff court or the High Court of Justiciary, depending upon the seriousness of the charge. The procedure in each court is practically the same. In the H igh Court, if the accused fails to appear for trial, the pros- ecutor being present, sentence of fugitation or outlawry is passed against the accused. The effect of this sentence is thus stated by Hume: "He cannot bear testimony on any occasion or hold any pla6e of trust, or even pursue or defend in any process, civil or criminal, or claim any personal privilege or benefit whatsoever of the law."57 His personal property also escheats to the Crown. In the Monson case (1893) one of the ac- cused persons, Scott, who failed to appear for trial, was outlawed.
    [Show full text]
  • SHERIFF APPEAL COURT [2021] SAC (Crim)
    SHERIFF APPEAL COURT [2021] SAC (Crim) 2 SAC/2020/000361/AP Sheriff N McFadyen Sheriff L A Drummond Sheriff F Tait OPINION OF THE COURT delivered by SHERIFF N MCFADYEN in Crown Sentence Appeal by PROCURATOR FISCAL, HAMILTON Appellant against JOHN DONNELLY Respondent Appellant: Edwards QC AD; Crown Agent Respondent: Laurie; Faculty Appeals Unit 9 March 2021 Introduction [1] In this case the Procurator Fiscal at Hamilton appeals under s 175(4) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 against a sentence of admonition imposed by a summary sheriff there and her decision not to impose a non-harassment order, both in respect of the assault to injury of the respondent’s ex-wife, aggravated in terms of section 1 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016. Such an appeal can be made on a point of 2 law (section 175(4A)(a)) or, for present purposes, where it appears to the Lord Advocate, that the sentence was unduly lenient or the decision not to impose a non-harassment order was inappropriate (section 175(4A)(b) (i) and (ii)). [2] The respondent went to trial on a charge that he did on 5 December 2017 at an address in Strathaven assault his former wife KD “and did strike her on the head and cause her to fall against furniture there, repeatedly strike her on the head and body with your hand, seize her by the clothing and pull her by same and cause her to strike her head against furniture there, kick her on the body and repeatedly seize her by the clothing and strike her body against the ground there, all to her injury and it will be proved in terms of section 1 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 that the aforesaid offence was aggravated by involving abuse of your partner or ex-partner”.
    [Show full text]
  • User Guide to Recorded Crime Statistics in Scotland
    User Guide to Recorded Crime Statistics in Scotland Justice Analytical Service October 2014 CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 4 2. Police Reform ..................................................................................................... 6 2.1 The Origins of Police Reform ........................................................................ 6 2.2 Consultation on Police Reform ...................................................................... 6 2.3 Police Scotland .............................................................................................. 7 2.4 Scottish Police Authority ................................................................................ 7 2.5 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland ............................... 7 3. Roles of Organisations ...................................................................................... 9 3.1 Police Scotland .............................................................................................. 9 3.2 Scottish Police Authority .............................................................................. 10 3.3 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland ............................. 10 3.4 Scottish Government ................................................................................... 10 4. Statistics from Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Government ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • SHERIFF APPEAL COURT [2017] SAC (Civ) 24 PER-B238-15 Sheriff
    SHERIFF APPEAL COURT [2017] SAC (Civ) 24 PER-B238-15 Sheriff Principal Lewis Sheriff Braid Sheriff Cubie OPINION OF THE COURT delivered by SHERIFF BRAID in appeal by TJ Appellant against SB Respondent Appellant: Cheyne Respondent: McAlpine 1 August 2017 Introduction [1] This is an appeal against the decision of the sheriff at Perth, made on 20 January 2017, to make no further order in respect of her earlier finding that the respondent was in contempt of court due to her failure to obtemper a contact order. The issue before us at this stage is whether the appellant has any locus to pursue the appeal. A hearing on that issue took place on 23 June 2017, following a preliminary view having been expressed by the procedural Appeal Sheriff that there was no such locus. Both parties were represented by counsel. 2 [2] At the outset, may we say that we recognise that in paragraph 31 of the court’s opinion in Robertson and Gough v HM Advocate 2008 JC 146, at page 155, the Lord Justice-Clerk (Gill) said:- “Despite indications to the contrary in certain nineteenth century authorities (Mackenzie and Munro v Magistrates of Dingwall (1839) 1 D 487, Lord Gillies, p 492; HM Adv v Robertson (1842) 1 Broun 152, Lord Justice Clerk Hope, p 160; Paterson v Kilgour (1865) 3 M 1119, Lord Deas, p 1123; MacLeod v Speirs (1884) 5 Coup 387, Lord Young, p 403), contempt of court is not a crime per se. It is a sui generis offence committed against the court itself which it is peculiarly within the province of the court to punish (Mayer v HM Advocate, [2005 1JC 121]; HM Advocate v Airs, [1975 JC 64]; Petrie v Angus (1889) 17 R (J) 3).
    [Show full text]
  • Report of a Complaint Handling Review in Relation to Police Scotland
    PIRC/00100/17 | September 2017 Report of a Complaint Handling Review in relation to Police Scotland independent and effective investigations and reviews independent and effective investigations and reviews PIRC/00100/17 | September 2017 Index 1. Role of the PIRC 2. Key findings 3. Background 4. The Review 5. Conclusions Page | 1 PIRC/00100/17 | September 2017 1. Role of the PIRC Sections 34 and 35 of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 (“the Act”) provide that the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (“the PIRC”) may examine the manner in which particular kinds of complaints are dealt with by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. Through agreements with UK police bodies operating in Scotland, the PIRC may also examine the manner in which these bodies deal with complaints. The PIRC cannot review complaints of criminal behaviour against police officers or police staff, or complaints made by persons serving, or who have served with the police, about the terms and conditions of their service. In performing this review function, the PIRC obtains information from the police body which dealt with the complaint. This information is considered together with information provided by the person who made the complaint (“the applicant”). An assessment is then made as to whether in all the circumstances the complaint was dealt with to a reasonable standard. Among the factors taken into account when making this assessment are the following: whether sufficient enquiries into the complaint have been carried out by the policing body; whether the policing body’s response to the complaint is supported by all material information available; whether in dealing with the complaint the policing body has adhered to all relevant policies, procedures and legal provisions; whether the policing body’s response to the complaint is adequately reasoned; and where the complaint has resulted in the policing body identifying measures necessary to improve its service, whether these measures are adequate and have been implemented.
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Criminal Justice System: the Police)
    Scottish Criminal Justice System Background The Act of Union 1707 between Scotland and England permitted Scotland to retain its separate legal system, which continued to be administered in Scotland. This meant that, prior to devolution, the Scottish justice system had its own court system, its own police forces, its own prosecution service and its own prison and criminal justice social work services. The 1998 Scotland Act devolved a range of powers from Westminster to the reconvened Scottish Parliament, which included legislative powers to administer the Scottish legal system. Legislative powers over some areas, including terrorism and legal safeguards for human rights, remain reserved to the United Kingdom. In addition, the Supreme Court, which was established in October 2009, sits as a Scottish Court to hear appeals from civil cases arising in Scotland, and also hears criminal cases where human rights are at issue. However, in most cases, final appeals relating to criminal cases continue to be heard by Scottish courts. (All the above information from Joyce (2004) - book section available here). The 2008 Act also devolved executive powers to the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has overall responsibility for criminal justice in Scotland, which includes “the justice system, security, access to justice, criminal law and procedure, civil law, the police, the legal profession, courts, sentencing, prisons and prisoners, victims and witnesses, reducing reoffending, youth justice, criminal justice social work, community safety, fire and rescue services, anti-social behaviour, drugs policy, violence reduction, anti-sectarianism and liquor licensing” (Scottish Government website.) The Scottish Parliament is responsible for scrutinising the policy and legislative proposals of the Scottish Government, and the Justice Committee fulfils much of the scrutiny in relation to criminal justice.
    [Show full text]
  • Mcpherson-Etal-SSC-2021-Sexual
    Sexual offences involving sexual assault Literature Review Submitted to the Scottish Sentencing Council in July 2020 Published February 2021 Authors: Dr Rachel McPherson, Dr Jay Gormley, Mr Nicholas Burgess and Professor Cyrus Tata School of Law, University of Glasgow and Centre for Law, Crime and Justice, School of Law, Strathclyde University Literature review prepared for the consideration of the Scottish Sentencing Council. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Council. www.scottishsentencingcouncil.org.uk [email protected] Sexual offences involving sexual assault Literature review The remit of this review was to consider in particular, the following offences under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009: 2, 3, 4, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 37 and other contact offences of a sexual nature under the 2009 Act and the common law equivalents. It was considered that such a review would include amongst other things, the available data on sentencing in this area, an overview of studies which have examined public perceptions of sexual assault sentencing and reference to relevant academic literature such as that which consider the wider principles and purposes of sentencing. It was never the intention that this review provide an analysis of current definitions of offences, an extended discussion of the problems pertaining to conviction rates in this area or the feminist framework which situates sexual offences as a form of violence against women, all of which lie outwith the Council’s remit. There is a significant body of legal and sociological literature on the subject of sexual offences which is not the focus of this report.
    [Show full text]
  • Police Service of Scotland (Conduct) Regulations 2014
    POLICE SERVICE OF SCOTLAND (CONDUCT) REGULATIONS 2014 GUIDANCE INDEX General ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Delegated authority ....................................................................................... 3 1.3 Glossary ........................................................................................................ 3 2. Misconduct ........................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Transition Arrangements ............................................................................... 4 2.2 Police Representative ................................................................................... 4 3. Standards of Professional Behaviour ............................................................. 6 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Honesty and Integrity .................................................................................... 7 3.3 Authority, Respect and Courtesy ................................................................... 8 3.4 Equality and Diversity .................................................................................... 9 3.5 Use of Force .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Criminal Law
    The Law Commission (LAW COM. No. 96) CRIMINAL LAW OFFENCES RELATING TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE COURSE OF JUSTICE Laid before Parliament by the Lord High Chancellor pursuant to section 3(2) of the Law Commissions Act 1965 Ordered by The House of Commons to heprinted 7th November 1979 LONDON HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE 213 24.50 net k The Law Commission was set up by section 1 of the Law Commissions Act 1965 for the purpose of promoting the reform of the law. The Commissioners are- The Honourable Mr. Justice Kerr, Chairman. Mr. Stephen M. Cretney. Mr. Stephen Edell. Mr. W. A. B. Forbes, Q.C. Dr. Peter M. North. The Secretary of the Law Commission is Mr. J. C. R. Fieldsend and its offices are at Conquest House, 37-38 John Street, Theobalds Road, London, WClN 2BQ. 11 THE LAW COMMISSION CRIMINAL LAW CONTENTS Paragraph Page PART I: INTRODUCTION .......... 1.1-1.9 1 PART 11: PERJURY A . PRESENT LAW AND WORKING PAPER PROPOSALS ............. 2.1-2.7 4 1. Thelaw .............. 2.1-2.3 4 2 . The incidence of offences under the Perjury Act 1911 .............. 2.4-2.5 5 3. Working paper proposals ........ 2.6-2.7 7 B . RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO PERJURY IN JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS ........ 2.8-2.93 8 1. The problem of false evidence not given on oath and the meaning of “judicial proceedings” ............ 2.8-2.43 8 (a) Working paperproposals ...... 2.9-2.10 8 (b) The present law .......... 2.1 1-2.25 10 (i) The Evidence Act 1851. section 16 2.12-2.16 10 (ii) Express statutory powers of tribunals .........
    [Show full text]
  • Scotland) Amendment Order 2020
    POLICY NOTE THE REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974 (EXCLUSIONS AND EXCEPTIONS) (SCOTLAND) AMENDMENT ORDER 2020 SSI 2020/45 The above instrument was made in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 4(4), 7(4), 10(1), 10A(1) and paragraph 6 of schedule 3 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (c.53) (“the 1974 Act”). The instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure. For the purposes of this policy note the instrument will be called “the 2020 amendment Order”. Purpose of the instrument The overall policy objective of this instrument is to improve how the backgrounds of constables, potential constables, police custody and security officers and armed forces police can be appropriately vetted in Scotland. The purpose of which is to improve the decisions made in relation to the appointments for such roles as well as decisions made in relation to disciplinary proceedings against serving constables. As such, the ultimate policy intent is to improve the quality of such decisions so as to ensure those who serve as constables and police custody and security officers are fit to serve and ensure constables continue to be fit to serve. It will also ensure armed forces police are treated in the same way in Scotland as in England & Wales. Although the instrument relates to police constables generally, it will have most effect in relation to Police Scotland. In more detail, this instrument amends the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013, as amended (“the 2013 Order”). The purpose of which is to allow Police Scotland and all other forces recruiting and employing people in Scotland (e.g.
    [Show full text]