| Publication date | Publication title | Recommendation | Reviewed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 1. COPFS and Police Scotland should: (a) review the targets in the ‘Protocol for witness citation targets’ to take account of the business rules on automatic citing and removal of intermediate diets in summary case management cases. Compliance with these targets should be monitored and performance data analysed; and (b) ensure all citation performance data is measurable and is collected, analysed and reported through governance structures to monitor performance across both organisations. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 2. COPFS and Police Scotland should develop a clear and consistent method of identifying all costs associated with the citation process and police officer court attendance. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 3. COPFS and Police Scotland should: (a) develop aligned, service-wide strategies for effective and efficient citation of witnesses, taking into account the needs of all categories of witness; and (b) publish information about commitments to witnesses and what witnesses should expect in the citation process. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 4. COPFS and Police Scotland should ensure that there is clear and effective leadership of the citation process that takes account of the respective internal structures of each organisation. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 5. COPFS and Police Scotland should ensure that information flows effectively between the framework of liaison meetings across both organisations at national and local levels, in order to manage the citation process consistently and comprehensively. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 6. COPFS and Police Scotland should ensure that all relevant staff have a comprehensive understanding of the citation process, including the role of each organisation, the operating context and the impact of unsuccessful citation on the criminal justice system. This should include mandatory training as part of the induction process, and ongoing awareness training. |
Open | |
| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 7. COPFS should: (a) ensure that guidance on all parts of the citation process in summary, and sheriff and jury cases, are connected and reflect business rules in full; (b) introduce an effective way of communicating changes to policy and guidance in the Local Court Business Process Handbook to staff; and (c) ensure that all relevant staff are actively following the Local Court Business Process Handbook. Regular compliance monitoring must take place. |
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| 3rd March 2026 | Citing witnesses in the sheriff court | 8. COPFS should review and update the ‘Lord Advocate’s guidelines to chief constables on the citation of witnesses’ and this should include the consequence of the removal of intermediate diets and the use by police officers of the Legal Document Database. Both COPFS and Police Scotland should ensure that staff are aware of the guidelines and their content. |
Results: 342 found