Lord Advocate visits Kilmarnock Prosecution Service

21 AUGUST 2006

LORD ADVOCATE VISITS KILMARNOCK PROSECUTION SERVICE

The Lord Advocate, Lord Boyd of Duncansby QC, visited Kilmarnock Procurator Fiscal's Office today to meet with staff and listen to their views on current local issues. The visit is part of a programme of summer visits to local Fiscal offices across Scotland.

In Kilmarnock the Lord Advocate will hear about the work being done to meet key targets set out in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's recently published Strategic Plan 06-08.

Lord Boyd said:

"The key priorities set out in the Strategic Plan demonstrate the Department's continuing commitment to delivering a quality service to victims, witnesses and communities throughout the country.

"I am particularly pleased to hear how the Ayrshire offices, and Kilmarnock in particular, are supporting the work of the Scottish Executive's pilot Vulnerable Witness officer project. This project goes hand in hand with the work of our own Victim Information and Advice teams to provide support and information to adult vulnerable and child witnesses."

Lord Boyd was welcomed to Kilmarnock by District Procurator Fiscal Les Brown and Ayrshire District Procurator Fiscal John Dunn.

Mr Dunn said:

"I am delighted to welcome the Lord Advocate to the Kilmarnock office to allow him to hear first-hand about the work being undertaken by our staff to speed up the process of dealing with criminal reports to help us deal with persistent offenders more quickly and efficiently.

"In particular I am pleased to report the excellent work undertaken to consistently meet and exceed the departmental target of taking and implementing a decision in 75% of cases in 5 weeks. This is in no small part due to the work of the centralised initial case unit based at Kilmarnock."

The centralised initial case unit is run by a senior Procurator Fiscal Depute who co-ordinates the first-stage marking of all reports from the police, and specialist reporting agencies, for the whole of Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

Notes to editors:

1. The strategic plan was launched on 26 July 2006. The Strategic Plan 2006-2008 can be viewed on the COPFS website at
www.copfs.gov.uk/publications

2. The Strategic Plan 2006-2008 outlines how the COPFS will develop over the next few years. In particular the department will focus on:

  • using the full extent of the law to tackle serious and organised crime by continuing to develop the work of the Civil Recovery and Financial Crime Units to achieve a sustained increase in the numbers of assets seized and recovered;
  • replicating the success of High Court reforms at Sheriff and District Court level by having 60% of these cases disposed of within 26 weeks of the date of caution and charge by March 2008;
  • improving the service provided to victims, witnesses and next of kin;
  • to secure the confidence of our diverse communities by improving the delivery of justice through the timely, efficient and effective prosecution of crime;
  • continuing to listen to frontline staff to identify improvements to working practices and working environment.

3. Kilmarnock Procurator Fiscal Office is part of the Ayrshire area. It employs more than 40 members of staff and deals with about 15,000 police reports each year.

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