Police organisation
Police Scotland
The police service of Scotland, established on 1 April 2013, covering some 28,168 square miles — about a third of the United Kingdom’s landmass.
At a glance
- Official name
- Police Scotland
- System
- Scotland
- Level of government
- National
- Kind of body
- National police force
- Status
- Currently operating
- Official website
- https://www.scotland.police.uk/ — confirmed against the organisation’s own pages on 13 September 2026.
- Facts last checked against sources
- 13 September 2026
What it is
Police Scotland polices the whole of Scotland as a single service, in a United Kingdom where England and Wales are policed by dozens of separate territorial forces. The Scottish Police Authority was established at the same time. The service’s own about page does not name the enabling statute, and none is asserted here.
What it covers
The whole of Scotland — "some 28,168 square miles, covering a third of the United Kingdom’s landmass", in the service’s own words.
Broad responsibilities
- Policing the whole of Scotland as a single service
Elsewhere on this site
- Police ranks in Scotland
- Who polices what — how Scotland is structured, against other systems
Other organisations to compare
- British Transport Police — United Kingdom
- National Crime Agency — United Kingdom
Where this connects
Institutions: National police.
Sources
Police Scotland (Poileas Alba) · Institutional (self-description) · link verified 2026-09-13
SCOPE: Police Scotland only. The service’s own about page, read directly. Supports verbatim that "Police Scotland was established on 1 April 2013"; that it polices "the whole of Scotland, some 28,168 square miles, covering a third of the United Kingdom’s landmass"; and that "The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) was established at the same time as Police Scotland". The page does NOT name the enabling statute, and none is asserted from it. Establishes nothing about policing in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.