EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision in respect of constables of the Police Service of Scotland.

Part 2 makes provision for the government of constables. Regulation 3 permits constables to perform part-time service in any rank and to change between different patterns of service. Regulation 4 and Schedule 1 place restrictions on the private life of constables and regulation 5 requires constables to notify the chief constable or the Scottish Police Authority, as appropriate, in relation to any business interests they may have, as set out in that regulation. Regulation 6 sets out the qualifications which a candidate for appointment to the Police Service of Scotland must satisfy and regulation 7 makes additional provision in relation to appointment of senior officers. Regulations 8 and 9 deal with probationary service and the counting of probationary service in certain other police forces. Regulations 11 and 12 provide for the personal record of a constable and the details it is to contain and for a certificate of service on a constable leaving the Police Service of Scotland. Regulation 13 requires constables on appointment to give fingerprints and samples for the purpose of comparing them with other such material as part of the investigation of crime.

Part 3 makes provision in relation to duty and for the Scottish Ministers to determine periods of duty, periods for refreshment, variable shift arrangements or flexible working patterns, roster periods and travelling time. Regulation 15 provides that time spent at certain meetings of the Police Federation for Scotland is counted as duty.

Part 4 makes provision about pay, overtime, holidays, temporary salary and temporary promotion and pay during various types of leave. Part 7 makes provision about reckonable service for the purposes of pay and which types of service count for pay purposes.

Part 5 deals with leave entitlement of various types including annual leave, maternity leave, maternity support leave, adoption leave, adoption support leave and parental leave.

Part 6 makes provision about allowances and expenses and Schedule 2 makes provision about how pay and allowances are affected during disciplinary proceedings. Part 8 deals with uniform and equipment and provides that constables are to be provided such uniform and equipment as they need free of charge by the Scottish Police Authority.

Part 10 and Schedule 3 make detailed transitional provision to deal with the transfer of constables to the Police Service of Scotland under schedule 5 to the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. Paragraph 20 of Schedule 3 contains a table of revocations.