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Glasgow Procurator Fiscal Office
12/12/2007
The Procurator Fiscal Office in Glasgow was officially opened today following a major refurbishment.
First Minister Alex Salmond was joined at the opening by the Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini QC, the Solicitor General, Frank Mulholland QC and Catherine Dyer, the Area Procurator Fiscal for Glasgow.
The Glasgow Procurator Fiscal Office has been refurbished to provide an attractive, modern, open-plan working environment for staff and the public who attend. Facilities for visitors include a new reception area, a separate waiting area and a suite of interview rooms on each floor. There is also a vulnerable witness room designed for use in meetings with child witnesses, vulnerable witnesses and bereaved next of kin. The Vulnerable Witnesses interview room is furnished with armchairs, a coffee table and children's toys in order to help reduce the formality of proceedings when dealing with young and vulnerable witnesses.
Performing the official opening, Mr Salmond said:
"The Glasgow Procurator Fiscal Office is the powerhouse of the Crown Office, putting business through the busiest court in Europe - Glasgow Sheriff Court. Its refurbishment marks the modernisation of the Crown Office estate, at a time when we are also working to modernise our justice system - with the Criminal Proceedings Act making the law on bail clearer and more transparent, while our court reform programme is making the whole system swifter and more focused.
"It is crucial that, in the interests of victims, witnesses and legal practitioners, we have the resources necessary to deliver effective justice. The new IT systems, improved interview facilities and the new vulnerable witnesses room this new office provides will allow services to meet the needs of those who rely on them. Together with our ongoing programme of reform they will ensure that our courts are supported by the best possible prosecution system, with fairness at its heart."
Elish Angiolini, the Lord Advocate said:
"Being a victim or a witness can be stressful, particularly dealing with the emotional and physical after effects of crime. It is our responsibility in the prosecution service to ensure that we do not add to this stress when we are investigating the crime. This refurbishment provides new interview facilities which will assist us when dealing with victims of crime and vulnerable witnesses, allowing us to help reduce the formality of proceedings.
"We have also invested in new IT systems to ensure that we are well equipped to deal with all types of crime in a modern and efficient way. Along with other criminal justice agencies, we will continue to ensure Scotland is a safer place to live and work.
"These modern, improved facilities are essential if we are to continue to provide the level of service the public deserve and expect."
Glasgow is the largest of the COPFS Areas. Around 350 staff deal with 78,000 cases a year. Glasgow accounts for over 30 per cent of the High Court cases in Scotland. Cases are also dealt with in the Sheriff Court of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, which is one of the busiest courts in Europe, and at the District Courts at Glasgow, Rutherglen and Kirkintilloch.
It is the largest office in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal estate, putting business through Glasgow Sheriff Court, the busiest court in Europe.
Catherine Dyer has been the Area Procurator Fiscal since December 2003 and shares overall responsibility for the Procurator Fiscal Office in Glasgow with the Area Business Manager John Tannahill.
4. An excellent spin off from the refurbishment was the work done with the Lord Provost's office which saw over 250 of our computers and a substantial amount of furniture going to equip 10 teacher training colleges in Malawi.
In October 2007, Strathclyde Police divided their officers in Glasgow into 3 Divisions (having been brigaded previously into 4) and COPFS Glasgow also moved into three Divisions to deal with the reports from each:
- Central & West Division deals with reports from Strathclyde A Division
- East Division deals with reports from Strathclyde B Division
- South Division deals with reports from Strathclyde G Division
Each of our Divisions is headed by a Divisional Procurator Fiscal and Divisional Business Manager.
Each Division deals with three main types of work:
- Initial Case Processing - where cases are received electronically from over 50 reporting agencies as well as the Police and decisions as to proceedings are made
- Summary Proceedings Unit - where cases are prepared for summary trial in the Sheriff and District courts
- Solemn Unit - where cases are prepared for Sheriff and Jury or High Court trial
There are also a number of specialist units each managed by a Division but dealing with initiatives being tested such as the Domestic Abuse Court in South Division, or with all of a particular type of case from across the Area such as the Deaths Unit or Indecent Images Unit in Central & West and the Child Witness Unit and Drugs Court Unit in East Division.
As with all other Procurator Fiscal Offices, each Division in Glasgow offers services to victims and vulnerable witnesses in all cases that involve a jury and also all cases of domestic abuse, racist crime, religious crime or sexual offence through the Victim Information and Advice Service (VIA). The service is also offered to the next of kin in sudden, unexpected or crime-related deaths.