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Building a Better Scotland
CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE
To provide an independent, modern prosecution service which is committed to professional excellence, pursues cases fairly and consistently in the public interest and is responsive to the public's needs
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service provides the sole public prosecuting authority in Scotland; investigates sudden deaths and, where appropriate, conducts public inquiries; and investigates independently all complaints of criminal conduct by police officers.
We are determined to address public and parliamentary concern about the quality and effectiveness of public prosecution in Scotland. The Reports by Sir Anthony Campbell and Dr Raj Jandoo into the unsuccessful prosecutions in the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar identified a number of failures in the way the case was handled. We are committed to responding to those criticisms.
As part of our efforts to reduce crime and the fear of crime, we will:
- improve the delivery of justice by ensuring timely, efficient and effective investigation and prosecution of crime - so that victims can be sure that crimes do not go unpunished;
- secure public confidence, including that of ethnic minorities, in the prosecution system - making the justice system more accessible and more responsive;
- give priority to the prosecution of serious crime, including drugs trafficking and persistent offenders - making Scotland's streets safer, and feel safer;
- provide services which meet the information needs of victims, witnesses and next of kin, in co-operation with other agencies - treating the victims of crime with dignity; and
- provide thorough, timely, and independent investigation of complaints of criminal conduct by police officers - ensuring accountable and responsive policing.
Modernisation and ReformThe Pryce/Dyer Report on the Planning, Allocation and Management of Resources within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service identified insufficient resources and weaknesses in management as key problems facing the Department. We are implementing the recommendations of the Report and a Chief Executive has been appointed to lead the reform process. The Procurator Fiscal Service has been restructured into 11 geographical areas, each managed by an Area Procurator Fiscal with full management and budgetary responsibility. Recruitment of Area Business Managers and a strengthened management team to support them is in progress. Additional lawyers and fiscal assistants are being recruited. Improvements to corporate management functions are being made. A new Management Board to direct strategic planning and resource allocation - with representation from the key corporate functions and the senior legal management - has started operating. The Report concluded that the Department needs to radically improve its core business processes and this is the aim of the Future Office System IT project. The System is designed to enable the marking and processing of cases to be undertaken almost entirely on computer instead of the existing intensively paper-based system. It will improve case throughput and enable faster communication with criminal justice partners. |
OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS
OBJECTIVE 1
To improve the delivery of justice by timely, efficient and effective investigation and prosecution of crime |
Target | 1 | To agree by December 2002, targets covering the progress of cases through the criminal justice system. |
Target | 2 | To take action in 75% of crime reports within six weeks by 31 March 2005 and within five weeks by 31 March 2006. |
OBJECTIVE 2
To secure public confidence, including that of ethnic minorities, in the prosecution system |
Target | 3 | To conduct a public survey to monitor trends in public confidence in the prosecution service, commencing in 2003-04, with improvement targets to be implemented by 31 March 2004. |
Target | 4 | The new Inspectorate to conduct an independent review and report on the prosecution of racial crime to be published by 31 December 2005 and recommendations to be implemented during the following Spending Review period. |
OBJECTIVE 3
To give priority to the prosecution of serious crime, including drugs trafficking and persistent offenders |
Target | 5 | To implement recommendations of Quality and Practice Review Unit review of High Court prosecution relating to investigation and preparation of High Court cases by 31 March 2005 and implement fully those relating to the management of High Court cases at Court, which will be relevant to the review by Lord Bonomy, in the next Spending Review period. |
Target | 6 | To serve indictments in 80% of Sheriff and Jury cases that involve bail within nine months of first appearance on petition by 31 March 2005. |
OBJECTIVE 4
To provide services which meet the information needs of victims, witnesses and next of kin, in co-operation with other agencies |
Target | 7 | To communicate court bail decisions within 24 hours to 90% of victims in cases in which the accused has appeared from custody. |
Target | 8 | To develop a customer service satisfaction survey for the Victim Information and Advice Service by 31 March 2004 and achieve 85% satisfaction levels amongst those surveyed by 31 March 2005. |
OBJECTIVE 5
To ensure that all deaths reported to the Procurator Fiscal are investigated appropriately and speedily |
Target | 9 | In deaths which require further investigation, to conclude investigation and advise next of kin of outcome within 12 weeks in 60% of cases by 31 March 2006. |
OBJECTIVE 6
To provide thorough, timely, and independent investigation of complaints of criminal conduct by police officers |
Target | 10 | (a) to complete investigation of complaints of criminal conduct by police officers and advise complainer of outcome within 10 weeks of report to Procurator Fiscal in 60% of cases and within 12 weeks in 90% of cases by 31 March 2006; and |
(b) to achieve a 100% approval level of the quality of investigation and decision making in a random selection of complaints against the police cases examined annually by the Inspectorate by 31 March 2006. |
What we will do
We are committed to implementing the recommendations of recent reviews into the performance of the justice system. During the next three years we will:
- make better use of existing resources in the prosecution of serious crime;
- set up a criminal confiscation and a civil recovery unit to investigate and recover drugs and fraud proceeds;
- develop further the Victim Information and Advice Service to improve the confidence of victims and next of kin;
- further improve the way racist crime is handled; and
- work with others in the criminal justice system to improve the way in which cases are progressed through the system to minimise the distress for victims and witnesses.
Spending Plans
m | 2002-03
Plans | 2003-04
New Plans | 2004-05
New Plans | 2005-06
New Plans |
Solemn | 21.4 | 33.0 | 34.4 | 35.7 |
Summary | 28.3 | 36.2 | 36.7 | 37.4 |
Victim Information and Advice Service | 1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
Inspection | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Investigation of Deaths | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
Complaints against Police | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
Non-Court | 8.8 | 12.1 | 12.4 | 12.6 |
Other | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Total | 63.1 | 87.1 | 89.6 | 92.1 |
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