This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New joint training initiative on search warrants
13/09/2002
A new joint training programme between the Crown Office
and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Association
of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) gets underway
this week.
The warrants "roadshow", to be held in each police force
area throughout September, will focus on the procedures
involved in obtaining, issuing and executing search
warrants.
The Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini QC, welcomed the
new scheme, saying:
"We are always looking at procedures to see where
improvements can be made, particularly to improve our
working relationships with the police and the courts. This
joint initiative is an excellent example of the cross
cutting approach we are taking to fulfill our role in the
delivery of an efficient, effective criminal justice system
for Scotland."
In 1999, a joint ACPOS and COPFS working group was
established to look at the procedures involved in obtaining
search warrants, particularly in light of European
Convention of Human Rights legislation. The aim of this
group was to increase co-operation and understanding
between the police and Procurator Fiscal in relation to
obtaining, issuing and execution search warrants.
Speaking on behalf of the Association of Chief Police
Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), Deputy Chief Constable David
Mellor, Fife Constabulary said:
"This joint training initiative will make a valuable
contribution to the process of obtaining search warrants
which are a vital element in the investigation of
crime."