How can I find the service record of an individual police officer?

If you are researching the career of a senior police officer, such as a former chief constable, go to the FAQ Where should I look for information about a former chief constable or senior officer of a force?

For other police officers, you need to find out which police force the officer served in and whether and where any records of that police force survive.

If you do not know which police force the person served on – go to the FAQ If I know someone was a police officer but not which force they served on, how do I find out which force?

Once you know police force concerned, check which of the eight regional police forces was the successor force in 1975 and ought to have inherited the records. Do this by checking the Knowledge Base List of police forces in Scotland. Then go to the Knowledge Base on Police Records Locations to find out which archives service holds the surviving records and contact that archives service to find out whether personnel records and other useful records have survived and how you can get access to them.

If you are fairly sure which force the individual served on, but he or she does not appear in the relevant personnel registers, see the FAQ Why might I be unable to trace a service record of a police officer?