24/7 Advice: 0141 439 1990 | Out of Hours: 07802 884830
Police Law Solicitors in Scotland
Scotland's Leading Firm for Police Law
PBW Law is ranked for Police Law: Mainly Defendant in the Chambers UK directory — for the third consecutive year. Professor Peter Watson, Solicitor Advocate, holds an individual ranking in the same field, recognised as one of the most experienced litigators representing police officers in the UK.
We act for individual officers, police representative bodies, and related organisations across Scotland. Our team understands the unique pressures officers face — professionally and personally — when their conduct, fitness for duty, or career is under scrutiny, and we bring the judgment and discretion that comes from handling some of the most sensitive cases in Scottish policing.
How We Help Police Officers
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PIRC conduct proceedings — representation before the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner
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Misconduct hearings and Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) appeals — defending officers' careers at every stage
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Vetting and re-vetting — including management vetting withdrawal and judicial review
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Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) — representing officers, families, and public bodies
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Criminal defence — for on-duty and off-duty matters, from solemn indictments to summary complaints
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Public inquiries — engagement in national inquiries touching on policing and law enforcement
Recognised Nationally, Trusted Locally
Our standing in this field isn't accidental. Professor Peter Watson was one of the first solicitors in Scotland to qualify as a Solicitor Advocate and now serves as President of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences. Our team has represented officers in some of the most complex fatal accident inquiries and misconduct proceedings in the country.
Much of our police law work is funded by the Scottish Police Federation, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents and other representative bodies, and we are used to working within their instruction and reporting arrangements. We also act for officers privately, for retired officers and for police staff, and we advise where a matter may be covered by legal expenses insurance.
Police matters rarely arrive one at a time. A single incident can give rise to a PIRC investigation, a criminal charge, a misconduct allegation, a vetting review and, in the most serious cases, a Fatal Accident Inquiry, each with its own procedure and timetable. Because we handle all of these under one roof, from our Glasgow office and at hearings and courts across Scotland, we can plan your position across the whole picture rather than dealing with each strand in isolation.
If you are an officer facing a conduct complaint, vetting decision, or criminal allegation — or a representative body seeking experienced counsel on behalf of your members — PBW Law is here to advise. Call us on 0141 439 1990. Out of hours, call 07802 884830.
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