8 CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE
Budget £119.2m
Summary Of Key Spending Priorities
The spending priorities for COPFS for 2009-10 to 2010-11 are briefly described below:
- £52.7m/£54.0m for the prosecution of serious, complex and organised crime, whether in the High Court or before a Sheriff and jury, including the prosecution of terrorism, murder, serious assaults, sexual offences, drug and people trafficking, fraud and organised crime and the confiscation of proceeds of crime;
- £34.2m/£32.2m for the efficient and timely prosecution of summary casework, which comprises in numerical terms the large majority of the (approximately) 330,000 crime reports submitted each year, including less serious offences and antisocial behaviour, prosecuted in the justice of the peace (formerly district), stipendiary and Sheriff courts, without a jury;
- £4.3m/£4.4m for the investigation of deaths, which includes discharging the public function in investigating relevant categories of deaths promptly, appropriately and with sensitivity to the needs of the next of kin;
- £3.1m/£3.8m for Victim Information and Advice, supporting victims of crime and vulnerable witnesses involved in the resolution of cases; and
- capital expenditure of £6.7m/£7.2m, which will complete the modernisation of the COPFS estate and improve the ICT system and increase case-processing efficiency.
We are taking forward the equality agenda on two fronts:
- in front line service delivery; and
- in the way that the organisation is run.
Equal access to, and treatment in, the justice system is fundamental in any civilised society. It remains a challenge not least because we live in an increasingly dynamic environment.
COPFS has been at the forefront of recent changes in prosecution policy and practice such as race and hate crime, sexual offences, vulnerable witnesses (including the setting up of specialist support teams) and the provision of translation and interpretation facilities for victims and witnesses.
We have conducted a number of public surveys to monitor trends in public confidence in the prosecution service, and set ambitious improvement targets.
Initiatives such as Summary Justice Reform have allowed us to reallocate resources whilst simultaneously securing speedier and more effective prosecutions.
Crime, both serious and petty, is concentrated disproportionately in communities that are disadvantaged. Both perpetrators of crime and victims of crime live for the most part in disadvantaged communities. The increase in resources going into the prosecution of crime will produce speedier and more effective prosecutions by providing more frontline lawyers and better IT systems with real-time links to criminal records. In conjunction with the efforts of other partners in the criminal justice system, this should reduce the impact of crime upon the communities and individuals whose lives are currently afflicted by it. This will help to support stronger, safer communities.
A second focus of COPFS resources will be the pursuit of persistent offenders. Because crime is disproportionately concentrated upon disadvantaged communities and a high volume of crime is by relatively few individuals, a faster clear up rate for persistent criminals will produce noticeable benefits for such communities. In addition, a high proportion of serious crime involves drugs offences. These are also concentrated in disadvantaged communities and their effects can blight the lives of many of the families who live there. COPFS has continued to strengthen its Criminal Confiscation and Civil Recovery Units, which are targeting the proceeds of illegal activities. Monies recouped are being invested in community initiatives.
COPFS continues to make special efforts on race crime including an independent inspectorate, which reviews the handling of race crime cases. Communities with a higher than average proportion of ethnic minority residents have lower average income levels than other communities. The effort to target and improve the handling of cases that involve race crime will therefore serve to bolster confidence in the justice system amongst ethnic minority groups and improve the opportunities and life chances of the members of ethnic minority communities.
The addition of an objective specifically on community engagement which was championed by the Lord Advocate and which was embedded in the 2009/10 business planning discussions, illustrates further the determination of the service to work with communities to remove inequalities.
Looking inward, COPFS has recognised that we cannot deliver world class front line services without addressing equalities issues with our own staff.
Improving the diversity of our workforce and supporting all of our people to achieve their potential is a key objective of our People Strategy. By March 2009 all staff had attended compulsory two day diversity training events. These were supported from the very top with attendance on the course by the Lord Advocate, Solicitor General and Crown Agent. Attendance for all new staff is mandatory. Training unit are developing an e-learning diversity refresher pack for all other staff.
In June 2009 COPFS published its first Equality and Diversity Strategy and in July 2009 ran a Disability Awareness Week programme. Within, COPFS there is a Staff Disability Advisory Group that is open to any member of staff who has a disability or who cares for someone with a disability and provides a forum to discuss and raise awareness of disability issues especially in the workplace.