The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 is an
Act of the Scottish Parliament
An Act of the Scottish Parliament ( gd, Achd Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) is primary legislation made by the Scottish Parliament. The power to create Acts was conferred to the Parliament by section 28 of the Scotland Act 1998 following the success ...
. This
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
merged the eight separate
police force
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
s and
fire and rescue service
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, plus several central agencies, into single agencies covering the whole of Scotland. These new agencies,
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
and the
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS; gd, Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. ...
, formally came into being on 1 April 2013.
By establishing the
Scottish Police Authority
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA), ( gd, Ùghdarras Poilis na h-Alba), is a public body of the Scottish Government which holds Police Scotland, the national police service, to account. Both bodies were established on 1 April 2013 following a ...
and the Police Service of Scotland, it replaced the arrangements previously set out in the
Police (Scotland) Act 1967
The Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (c. 77) is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which until 2013 had provided a framework for territorial police forces in Scotland to operate within. The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, passed by the ...
.
The legislation also made provision for the Auditor General for Scotland to become responsible for auditing the
Scottish Police Authority
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA), ( gd, Ùghdarras Poilis na h-Alba), is a public body of the Scottish Government which holds Police Scotland, the national police service, to account. Both bodies were established on 1 April 2013 following a ...
, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
See also
*
Police and Fire Services (Finance) (Scotland) Act 2001
The Police and Fire Services (Finance)(Scotland) Act 2001 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament. It was passed by the Parliament on 1 November 2001 and received Royal Assent on 5 December 2001. It was repealed upon the enactment of the Police and ...