First female to lead on organised crime and counter-terror in Scotland
Assistant Chief Constable Angela McLaren is the new lead for organised crime and counter-terrorism at Police Scotland. She is the first female to be appointed to the post.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone confirmed the appointment at a meeting with the Scottish Police Authority on Wednesday (May 22).
Ms McLaren takes over from Assistant Chief Constable Steven Johnson who has been seconded to the Strategic Command Unit.
She began her career at the former Fife Constabulary in 1996, with various community roles before being made an inspector.
In 2013, she became project manager for the Pathways to Policing Project at the Scottish Police College before being promoted to superintendent.
Ms McLaren was then posted D Division in Tayside and in 2015 was made a chief superintendent and divisional commander for Fife.
After being posted to Policing 2026, helping to produce a long-term strategy for Scottish policing, she was promoted to assistant chief constable.
A spokesperson for the force said that “female officers now make up 31 per cent of the overall service with Police Scotland but are underrepresented in every rank”.
