• Scotland has two Force Elected Official Advisors (FEOAs) who are responsible for delivering Operation Ford and coordinating responses to security concerns related to elected members.
• The FEOA provides briefings on personal security to Councillors and councils and, in conjunction with Local Area Commanders,   helps coordinate relevant intelligence on threats/risks to elected officials in the local area.
• The FEOA is not responsible for taking reports of or investigating crimes; crimes must still be reported via 999/101/online, making clear that the incident is an “Operation Ford” incident. This allows for appropriate triage and response to the incident through the usual mechanisms, as well as ensuring the FEOA is aware that an Operation Ford incident has been reported.
• In Scotland the FEOA works alongside a network of 13 local Liaison Officers, situated in each local Policing Area. These Liaison Officers act as local point of contact for all elected officials and can provide local advice and assistance in addition to the FEOA.
• During elections, the FEOAs may liaise with returning officers to offer candidates timely security advice; ROs can lawfully share candidate details post‑nominations in line with local Data Protection Officer advice – however, candidates must provide contact details.

Operation Ford is part of the Defending Democracy Policing Protocol, which committed the Government to funding a dedicated named police contact for raising concerns and liaising on security, as well as expanding the existing Operation Bridger network, which supports the security of MPs and parliamentary candidates.

What is an Operation Ford incident?

“An Operation Ford incident is any act against a serving local elected official, including councillors, (mayors and police and crime commissioners – In other parts of the UK) or candidates for these offices, where it is reasonably believed to be intended to intimidate or harass them in connection with their office or potential office.

Crime against councillors or other incidents not related to their elected office are not Operation Ford incidents and should be treated in the same manner as crime against a private individual.”

Purpose

Scotland has two Force Elected Official Advisors. The FEOA acts as the named police contact for elected officials and is responsible for briefing public figures and driving intelligence collection plans under Operation Ford.

FEOA’s primary role is to provide timely security briefings. Outside of this role, FEOAs are reactive to incidents rather than proactive. Some councillors may never need to engage with an FEOA outside of the standard security briefings; however, FEOAs are there to provide support when councillors need it.

Specific FEOA activities include:

• Providing security briefings to councillors and candidates.
• Working with the Force Intelligence Service to drive Ford and Bridger intelligence collection plans; creating intelligence logs where appropriate.
• Reactively working with the local authority to coordinate specific or general security support for councillors when a specific and higher risk is identified.
• Delivering inputs or briefings to frontline police officers on Operations Ford and Bridger as necessary, especially around elections.

FEOAs can be reached on  OSDBridgerFordFEOA@scotland.police.uk

Reports of potential crimes should always be made through the usual crime reporting systems:

• Call 999 for emergencies, including if you are concerned about your or someone else’s immediate safety
• Non-emergencies, including crimes that have already taken place, suspicious activity etc., should be reported through 101, either by phone or online Contact Us form | Police Scotland.

When reporting a potential crime to the police, a crime reference number should always be issued.

When reporting a safety concern linked to an elected role, the individual should make this link explicit in the report and confirm that it should be recorded as an Operation Ford incident. This will help ensure that the FEOAs are aware that an Operation Ford incident has been reported.

The FEOA is not responsible for investigating crimes, even when they are classed as an Operation Ford incident. However, the FEOA can be helpful in checking the progress of an investigation if the response has been delayed. They can also offer reassurance to councillors if the investigation is proceeding as expected.

When to report safety concerns to the police

It can be challenging for councillors to know when they should report an incident or safety concern to the police, their local authority and their party.

If a councillor or member of staff believes that a criminal offence has been committed, they should report it as soon as possible.

In particular, councillors should contact the police and make a report if the following behaviours are present:

• Communications, online or offline, which contain excessive abuse or threatening language
• Repeated unwanted contact that may constitute harassment or stalking
• Sexist, racist, homophobic or other discriminatory abuse and threats.

‘Red flag’ indicators which may signal an escalation should be brought to the immediate attention of the local police force, for example:

• A threat of imminent violence
• Fixation on you
• Access to weapons and weapons skills
• The release of information about you which is not already in the public domain

Even if the incident is assessed as not meeting the criminality threshold, it will be recorded and help the Police build a history and record so you are encouraged to report an incident even if you are unsure whether a criminal offense has been committed.

Police Scotland has Guidance for Election Candidates in Scotland which provides more detail and information on relevant offences for elected officials and elections.

Key questions to ask yourself when considering whether to report an incident or contact the police include:

• Is the contact abusive or harassing? Are there words or images contained that would cause alarm or distress?
• Does the contact cause a concern, for example, is there any underlying issue or is it persistent?
• Does the contact contain any threats, including physical, mental or action that would prevent the councillor from performing their duties?

Actions to take following an incident or relevant contact related to the councillor role:

• Councillors should make sure they are safe; if not, call 999
• Keep a record of the incident, if possible, for example, retaining documents posted through your letter box or screenshotting emails.
• Councils should flag concerns with council officers and, where relevant, speak to peers to gain support and to understand if the issue is also affecting other councillors, pointing to a wider issue.

Different councils will also have different processes in place for dealing with abuse, intimidation and harassment of elected members, as well as specific safety concerns and incidents that can occur.

Monitoring officers or democratic service managers are often the first port of call for councillors experiencing these issues; however, some councils have a specific reporting process. It’s vital to understand what the local reporting system is and how to access it when needed.

After reporting an incident, officers may be able to provide advice about actions to take, which may or may not involve the police or the FEOA.

Councils have a role in supporting councillors at risk of or experiencing threats, intimidation, harassment or other forms of abuse, including where these incidents may be criminal and/or create concerns about risks to the physical or mental health of the elected member.

A short checklist to support Operation Ford to be the most effective include:

1. Maintain and share FEOA contacts: ensure that council officers supporting councillors have the correct and up-to-date information for the FEOA and the local Liaison Officers. Ensure that all members have this information or know where to find it; this could include embedding this information in member inductions and handbooks, as part of regular safety training or on the intranet, if members have access.
2. Clear reporting processes: Use a simple route for reporting incidents so that members know what to do if they need to report something to the council. This could be a simple mailbox or a more integrated reporting system; some councils use their existing anti-social behaviour reporting systems to catalogue councillor issues; allowing for proper analysis and triangulation of experiences to identify patterns of behaviours and multi-victim perpetrators, where a perpetrator is harassing more than one member or members and officers.
3. Clear responsibilities, roles and expectations: Whatever the approach, officers must be clear who is responsible for responding to the report, including when they should liaise with the FEOA or other police colleagues and how they should update or include the member.
4. Pre-event and reactive engagement: The local authority will have a good grasp of issues or announcements that are likely to cause concerns, sometimes ahead of publication. Local authorities should develop mechanisms to flag issues proactively or reactively with policing colleagues as part of wider intelligence gathering, as well as members and support them to manage their public engagement around contentious issues.
5. Wellbeing support may be equally as important as policing action: Political groups or parties may be able to provide mentoring or buddying support, and some councils make counselling support available to councillors through their employee assistance programme.

In the run-up to a scheduled or unscheduled election, additional policing arrangements are put in place, and the council will appoint a Returning Officer to oversee the election. Election participants will need to be aware of the various roles of these actors and what they can expect from the FEOA during this period.

Safety of candidates

FEOAs are still responsible for supporting councillors and candidates' safety during the pre-election and election period. FEOAs and local Liaison Officers will work with local Returning Officers and party HQ’s to reach candidates quickly and provide personal security briefings. This is only possible when the candidate has provided the appropriate contact information to the Returning Officer.

Returning Officers will need to share this data with the local FEOA. Sharing candidate data with the police can be a legitimate use of the data as part of the RO's statutory duties, including their statutory function of safely and properly conducting an election. Therefore, Returning Officers can share candidate contact details post‑nominations and should update their privacy notice to take this option into account and to ensure that all candidates have the option to opt out of having their data shared. Returning Officers will want to take the advice of their local Data Protection Officer and ensure that all their policies and procedures are updated to allow for this process, as well as ensuring that candidates are aware of plans to share their information for this purpose.

Electoral crime or malpractice

When an election or referendum is announced, Police Scotland will appoint a chief officer to review existing election policing plans designed to mitigate electoral malpractice, contribute to a non-intimidatory environment for candidates and campaigners and facilitate peaceful voting.

Returning Officers are not responsible for investigating complaints of electoral misconduct or election offences. However, they can support election participants to raise complaints and signpost them to the correct body, such as the police or the Electoral Commission.

Police Scotland will have a Single Point of Contact for elections (SPoC). These SPoCs contribute to planning the police response to elections and prevent and detect electoral malpractice.

Other resources that may be helpful during electoral periods include:

Personal Safety and Security for High-Risk Individuals

This NPSA guidance is intended for individuals who face heightened risks affecting their personal safety and security. Threats may arise from national security concerns, such as those from state-backed actors or terrorists.

Personal Safety & Security for High-Risk Individuals | Specialised Guidance | NPSA

Guidance for Individuals in Politics

Produced by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and NPSA the guidance is designed for those working in political life and provides security advice for both the physical and online space.

Defending Democracy | National Security Act | NPSA

Defending Democracy - NCSC.GOV.UK

UK Gov Candidate Security Guidance Collection

Think Before You Link

Guidance produced by the NPSA warning that criminals and hostile actors may pose as recruiters online to steal sensitive information and offers guidance on recognising, responding to, and reducing such threats to individuals, organisations, and UK national security.

Think Before You Link (TBYL) | NPSA

Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Suite of Products

The NaCTSO website ‘ProtectUK’ contains additional protective security guidance and up to date developments affecting UK security. The website also hosts the ‘ACT Suite of Products’, aimed at raising awareness and capability of counter terrorism measures. The training packages include ‘ACT eLearning’. This is an entry level, interactive product designed to provide guidance to help mitigate against current terrorist methodology, information on how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and understand what to do in the event of a major incident.

protectuk.police.uk

Safety on the Doorstep

To assist with safe campaigning, advice is contained at:

suzylamplugh.org/staying-safe-on-the-doorstep

Demonstrations

Physical Threats | ProtectUK

It is possible that your profession or association with an organisation could lead to protesters gathering at your home or work. If this happens:

• Stay calm – Such protests may intimidate but will not necessarily lead to a physical threat
• Remain inside
• Close and lock doors and windows and draw the curtains/blinds
• Inform the police calling using 999
• Inform your workplace/colleagues/ family members
• Do not, in any way, respond to or antagonise the protesters
• Remain indoors, out of sight and avoid confrontation
• If possible, note descriptions of individuals, vehicles present and location of protestors (including numbers)
• If you have a CCTV system fitted that has recorded images of protesters, you should hand any footage obtained over to the police; it may assist with identification and provide evidence in cases where offences have been committed
• Postpone any expected visitors
• Await the arrival of the police