Our Strategic Vision
Our 4-year Strategic Plan 2025/29 for the period 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2029 was approved by the Parliament Corporation and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 10 November 2025.
Strategic Plan 2025/29
This Strategic Plan represents the second and final four-year plan under the current Commissioner's leadership. The Plan sets out how he proposes to discharge his functions for the period from 01 December 2025 until demitting office no later than 11 April 2029. The plan itself runs until 30 November 2029, meaning that his successor will inherit the final seven months of the plan allowing her/him a period of grace before developing a subsequent four-year plan of their own. In accordance with the provisions of Section 28 of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Act 2020, the Plan includes a timetable with objectives and priorities, details of how they will be achieved and a timetable for doing so along with estimated costs.
Over the next four years, we will focus on:
- ensuring that the use of biometric data by policing bodies is lawful, effective and ethical to improve criminal justice outcome
- supporting and promoting the bodies to whom our functions extend to remain in compliance with the Statutory Code of Practice
- strengthening democratic accountability by focusing on equalities and human rights’ impacts of biometric technologies in policing
- strengthening public confidence through transparency, independence and robust oversight
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Our previous Strategic Plan 2021/25, approved by the Parliament Corporation was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 24 November 2021. This was revised on 28 February 2023 and a further revised plan was then laid in 2025.
Strategic Plan 2021/25
In early 2025, we engaged the services of Evaluation Support Scotland to help us develop a theory of change logic model and an outcomes framework relative to our function to help us shape our next Strategic Plan.
A logic model for a policing oversight body such as the SBC visually outlines how our resources (inputs) are used in our activities to produce outputs, ultimately leading to desired outcomes and impacts. This framework helps clarify our role, processes, and our intended impact on the bodies to whom our functions extend to the benefit of those bodies and in turn to the people of Scotland. Accordingly, the logic model also serves as a tool for planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and for ensuring accountability and demonstrating effectiveness.
This document sets out the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner's risk management plan in line with the Strategic Plan and annual Business Plan for the period. It sets out our appetite for risk and how we assess the risks to achieving our Business Plan. It should be read in conjunction with our Risk Management Policy, within the Scheme of Governance and Risk Management Handbook.