Police Scotland is recognising the exceptional work carried out by response officers this week as part of National Response Policing Week of Action.
Taking place from Monday, 20 to Sunday, 26 April, 2026, the week of recognition is organised by the College of Policing in coordination with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and looks to celebrate the hard work, dedication and bravery of response policing.
From providing response to knife crime incidents to apprehending domestic assault suspects, Police Scotland’s response policing teams play a crucial role in keeping Scotland’s communities safe.
Deputy Chief Constable Bex Smith said: “Every day Police Scotland officers and staff go above and beyond to ensure the people of Scotland are kept safe.
“Response police officers are usually first on scene and are required to assess situations very quickly, often putting themselves in harms way to protect others.
“Policing is a challenging but very rewarding career and National Response Policing Week of Action gives us the opportunity to recognise and highlight the exceptional and inspiring work our officers across Scotland do daily to deliver our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce.”
During a typical week, Police Scotland receives over 45,000 calls to 999 and 101 and officers can be deployed to a variety of incidents from thefts and road crashes to concern calls, sudden deaths, sexual crimes, assaults, disturbances, fraud/scams, domestic abuse and child or vulnerable adult abuse.
The following are a few examples of good work recently conducted by officers across the country:
Officers in Aberdeenshire provided an effective and compassionate response when attending a concern call of a vulnerable man who had overdosed on medication. On discovering the male in his vehicle in a rural location, officers administered naloxone and remained with him, monitoring his condition and provided reassurance until the arrival of paramedics.
In the East, response officers demonstrated persistence and collaboration in quickly locating a suspect for domestic assault in East Lothian. The man had assaulted a woman then fled the scene. After an extensive search by local response officers, the suspect was traced, arrested and charged.
Actions of our first on the scene response colleagues play an important part in Police Scotland’s commitment to tackling domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.
In February multiple reports were received regarding a man in possession of weapons in Glasgow city centre. Officers arrived in the area, ran towards the scene and arrested him. From first radio broadcast to the man being arrested was three minutes.
Nobody was injured thanks to the excellent response from officers, where officers prioritised the safety of the public over their own.
