Thematic Inspection of Organisational Culture in Police Scotland

Our inspection took evidence from staff and officers at all ranks and grades to gain an understanding of: how culture is set; if there is a conscious effort to define and influence culture; and how people feel within the organisation. We also sought views and ‘stories’ from staff and officers across the organisation, receiving over 260 responses, with a number followed up in direct interviews. The detail of these is included in the report, but those who spoke up mostly raised concerns at the way Police Scotland applies its processes when dealing with the human side of policing (e.g. annual leave, grievance, time off, promotion and complaint/conduct investigation). The overwhelming feeling was that the size and scale of the organisation inhibits its ability to treat officers and staff as individuals and that there is a rush to apply processes, often incorrectly and with initial stages that are not defined in policy.