Appointment of Chief Constables and Assistant Chief
Constables
Chief Constables in Scotland are appointed by the Police
Authority under Section 4 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967
after consultation with and subject to the approval of
Scottish Ministers. Assistant Chief Constables in Scotland
are appointed by the Police Authority under Section 5 of
the Police (Scotland) Act 1967, as inserted by Section 48
of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, after
consultation with the Chief Constable, and subject to the
approval of Scottish Ministers.
When selecting officers for senior appointments in the
police service, police authorities should follow best
practice in relation to equal opportunities and fair
selection procedures whilst at the same time identifying
the most suitable candidate for the post. The Scottish
Executive publish guidelines (currently under review) on
the selection procedures recommended for chief officer
appointments in Scotland.
The advice contained in these guidelines, is intended to
ensure that procedures are patently fair, unbiased and
objective. Most of the suggestions are part of good
personnel practice and should also be adopted for general
efficiency reasons.
Copies of the guidelines and various model forms are
available to Clerks to the Authority either as Microsoft
Word 97 files on a PC format 3.5" disk or by email. Copies
can be obtained from the Scottish Executive Justice
Department (Tel: 0131 244 2152).