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Police Scotland

Public Order Public Safety — Authorised Professional Practice

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Summary

This page contains guidance specifically for Police Scotland, addressing the unique operational challenges and legislation applicable to policing in Scotland. It serves as a reference for UK forces to ensure understanding of these local practices and legal requirements. The page emphasizes the importance of accessing specific guidance relevant to Police Scotland to prepare officers adequately. This includes details on command structures, planning, addressing POPS incidents, and thematic guidance related to public order and safety. Officers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the recommendations and best practices outlined in this guidance to effectively manage policing responsibilities in the context of Scotland's legal framework.

Key principles

  • 1Refer to specific guidance for Police Scotland before planning operations.
  • 2Understand local legislation and unique operational challenges of Police Scotland.
  • 3Utilize guidance to prepare colleagues across the UK for Scotland-specific practices.

Defined terms

POPS
Public Order Public Safety

Full guidance

This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.

Due to the specific legislation differences and unique operational challenges found in Police Scotland, forces should refer to guidance specific to Police Scotland to prepare and inform colleagues from across the United Kingdom as to specific legislation and practices.

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What is the reason for your answer?

Reproduced from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice under the Open Government Licence v3.0, as captured on 2026-06-27. APP is amended over time — check the source link below for the current version. This is a reference, not operational authorisation.

APP is the authoritative source for UK policing practice and is updated over time. For the current, official version — including any operational detail not reproduced here — go direct.

Read the full APP guidance

Source: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.