REQUESTING INFORMATION FROM THE CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE
Freedom of Information
All members of the public now have a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by the public authorities such as the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Under
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which came into force on 1 January 2005, you are entitled to receive information which you request unless the particular information is exempt.
Any person who makes a request for information must be told whether the authority holds the information requested and supplied with the information, unless the information is exempt from disclosure under the Act.
If you wish to make a request for information you should submit your request to the Freedom of Information Officer at the
Procurator Fiscal's Office to which the request relates.
If your request relates to the work of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as a Department then you should submit your request to the Freedom of Information Officer, Information & Records Mangagement Team, Crown Office 25 Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LA or by email to
foi@copfs.gsi.gov.uk
The Scottish Government's Six Principles
The Scottish Government is committed to building a culture of openness. Its approach to Freedom of Information is based on
Six Principles.
Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
The purpose of a
publication scheme is to ensure that as much information as possible is made available without the need for members of the public to make a specific request. Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, all public authorities must publish a publication scheme. Here you will find a list of the documents which the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has already published under the publication scheme and which can be provided upon request.
Requesting Information About Yourself
Individuals have a separate right to
request information
about themselves under the
Data Protection Act 1998. Guidance on how to request information which the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service may hold about you is contained in the Data Protection section.
Reasons For Decisions Taken in Criminal Cases
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to providing as much information as possible about the reasons for decisions taken in cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal. If you have been a victim or a witness in a case and wish to receive information about the reason for the decision taken then you should contact the
Procurator Fiscal's office for the local area in which the crime took place.
Victim Information and Advice
Victim Information and Advice is a division of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which is dedicated to providing case progress information and key decisions to victims, vulnerable witnesses and next-of-kin in certain categories of case such as cases of domestic abuse, racist crimes or murders, for example.
Reporting of how we handle requests for information
A
report was published in May 2006, which showed how the Department had dealt with requests during the first year in Force of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 The second report, covering
January - December 2006 was published in April 2007.