Lord Advocate Welcomes Progress Made Through Partnership
The Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC, today announced the latest statistics on the percentage of cases reported to Procurators Fiscal where no proceedings are taken. Figures show that the rate is down from 18.5% in
2004 / 05 to 16% for the first quarter of 2005 / 06.
Attributing the downward trend to successful partnership working between the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Mr Boyd said:
"This is a welcome move, which demonstrates increased efficiency between the police and the prosecution. We recognise that there will always be a percentage of cases reported to Procurators Fiscal which result in no proceedings being taken, and it is right that this should be the case. We have been working closely with ACPOS to reduce the number of cases where this happens. It is clear that a contributory factor to the
2004 / 05 figure was the introduction of the Scottish Crime Recording Standard in April 2004.
"New working practices introduced in one part of the criminal justice system have always had the potential to impact on partner agencies. However, in the past we wouldn't necessarily have had the means to quickly identify what was causing the effect. Through working together, across organisational boundaries, we are able to work more effectively and efficiently. The downward trend in these figures is a good example of that."
Chief Constable David Strang, ACPOS Criminal Justice lead, said:
"We are pleased to see that the trend is moving downwards after a peak in 2004 / 05. The formation of a Criminal Justice Business Area within ACPOS reflects the need to co-ordinate, support and develop the work in this area by the police service in Scotland. The whole area of Criminal Justice is currently undergoing a significant reform programme and this sharper focus allows the police service to implement these changes collectively and to work effectively with our partners in the Criminal Justice arena."
Notes to Editors
1. The Scottish Crime Recording Standard was introduced in 2004 and records crime from the victims perspective.
2. There will always be a percentage of cases reported to Procurators Fiscal which result in no proceedings being taken. Procurators Fiscal may decide not to take proceedings for a number of reasons, including lack of admissible evidence, mitigating circumstances, lack of jurisdiction over the offence, the fact that the suspected offence is not a crime, or the fact that a civil remedy is more appropriate than criminal proceedings. 3. The figures announced today are
available to view .
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