Set up in 2013 in an attempt to both save money and improve the standard and service of the force, Police Scotland acts as the primary force responsible for crime prevention and law enforcement across Scotland. But, what is the standard of policing they offer, and what is the level of public support and opinion surrounding the force?
In the year 2025-26 crimes recorded by Police Scotland reached 315,357, a five per cent increase from the previous year, and the highest number recorded since 2014-15. In particular, East Lothian recorded 5,555 crimes in 2025-26, marking a 17 per cent increase from the previous year. Across Scotland “crimes of dishonesty” such as theft, fraud, and shoplifting were the largest group of offences, making up 37 per cent of recorded crime, followed by non-sexual crimes of violence, crimes against society, damage and reckless behaviour, and sexual crimes.
Additionally, officer numbers are currently down to around 15,600 — the lowest number since 2003-04 — having fallen by more than 700 since 2022-23. Subsequently, the Scottish Police Authority have asked for an additional £110m to “maintain current staffing levels and respond to their increasing workload,” despite reaching “record levels of funding.” The Scottish Police Authority claims that without additional funding the force would be “under severe strain” and that they would have to majorly reduce the size of their workforce, which would impact the aforementioned rise in cases.
A recent BBC report claimed that 45 officers are currently suspended over “allegations of violence against women and girls” following numerous prominent cases of sexual assault and abuse against members of the force — such as that against former police sergeant Campbell Petrie who was found guilty “of eight charges involving physical and sexual abuse towards two women between 2006 and 2023” in September 2026. This news comes after a 2025 article by the BBC that references a report by policy group Murray Blackburn Mackenzie that found “evidence of sexism, misogyny, and violence against women within Police Scotland at both institutional and individual level.”
The article claimed that senior officials were “often unwilling — or even complicit — in addressing sexist and misogynistic behaviour.” It describes the force as possessing a “toxic culture” that resembles a “boys club” with a pattern of “inappropriate jokes and comments” that regularly target junior or younger female officers, leading them to “second guess their appearance” out of “fear of ‘provoking’ sexist remarks.” Additionally, the article demonstrates the lack of respect senior female officers are given from junior male officers who would “ignore [their] directives” and “instead seek confirmation from higher ranking male colleagues” whilst also noting an “implicit understanding” in the force that women who voice concerns or objections risk “professional retaliation, including stalled promotions.” This culture of toxicity coincides with a statement in 2023 from Chief Constable Jo Farrell, where she agrees that the force is “institutionally racist.”
Student sentiment emphasised this prominence of such “toxic culture” in the police force as negatively impacting their view of the force, with one fourth year student commenting that it can “sometimes feel as though this is an institution that protects their own more than the people they’re meant to protect.” Many students expressed a strong desire for stronger vetting processes within the police force. When commenting on the seniority, and position of power that offenders often possess, one English Literature student stated that they “can see how this breeds perpetuation of such a toxic culture, particularly if the people who possess this quality are senior figures and involved in decision making.”
A report conducted by Police Scotland found that between April 2025 and March 2026 the average public confidence in their local police force was 36 per cent. This percentage then rose when respondents were asked about the character of the force and their overall safety, with 79 per cent of people saying they felt safe, whilst 61 per cent of respondents claimed they believe the police to be friendly and approachable. However this dropped when questioned about the actual effectiveness of the police force in local areas; only 23 per cent of respondents said they feel as though the police listen to locals’ concerns, and 19 per cent claiming that the police do, in fact, deal with local issues. Furthermore, of those surveyed, only 14 per cent said they felt well informed about local police issues, with the report claiming that many respondents answered that they either “don’t know” or “neither agree nor disagree” when asked about the above questions. This suggests a lack of comprehension and awareness from locals about the day-to-day work and operations of Police Scotland, and gives way to the argument that the general public are ill-informed of the inner workings and actions of the force, which many students agreed with.
It seems evident that student and public sentiment surrounding Police Scotland is murky and convoluted. Echoed by many students was the belief that the force needs institutional revision and reform, central to which was the notion that staff, regardless of seniority or rank, need to be held to a higher standard and equally reprimanded in the face the law, in order for the force to adequately protect their own citizens as they should serve to do.
Photo by Ulia Makoveeva for The Student.
