Cops called to give evidence against dead man in court amid 'broken' Scots justice system
dailyrecord.co.ukPolice officers were summoned to give evidence against a dead man in court amid warnings Scotland's criminal justice system is "broken".
Three officers from Police Scotland were called to give evidence against the deceased at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in June. In another case, an officer who was on maternity leave with a 12-week-old baby was given a last-minute citation due to the fact a colleague was on holiday and had been excused.The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) acknowledged that unnecessary citations are a “waste of resources”.
Its processes are now being reviewed.The incidents spurred the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) to issue a warning about the scale of disruption to the force.
One representative for the federation told that out of 750 officers in the north area cited for trial since January, only 26 actually gave evidence – while one officer had been cited 17 times in just one month.Police Scotland said detailed work is being carried out to make the system more efficient - including a summary case management pilot which has seen a 34 per cent reduction in officer citations.A court scheduling app is also being piloted in Aberdeen and Dundee.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk