Crown Office to take on extra staff following funding increase

Lord Advocate James Wolffe - Image credit: Scottish Parliament TV

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is to take on 140 extra permanent staff following an increase in funding.

The Crown Office has been given an additional £3.6m from the Scottish Government in response to an increasingly complex caseload.

The new staff, including 60 more lawyers, will be employed in a number of areas, including the Scottish Fatalities Investigations Unit, local court teams across Scotland, the National Sexual Crimes Unit and Victim Information and Advice.

The Lord Advocate, the Rt Hon James Wolffe QC, said: “The effective, rigorous and fair prosecution of crime in the public interest underpins our freedom and security and helps keep our communities safe from crime, disorder and danger.

“COPFS is responding to the changing nature and complexity of criminal cases prosecuted, and to the public’s reasonable expectation for timely investigation of deaths.

“This increased funding represents a strong commitment to supporting the work of the independent public prosecutor within the criminal justice system.”