Skip to content
Law Society of Scotland
Search
Find a Solicitor
Contact us
About us
Sign in
Search
Find a Solicitor
Contact us
About us
Sign in
  • For members

    • For members

    • CPD & Training

    • Membership and fees

    • Rules and guidance

    • Regulation and compliance

    • Journal

    • Business support

    • Career growth

    • Member benefits

    • Professional support

    • Lawscot Wellbeing

    • Lawscot Sustainability

  • News and events

    • News and events

    • Law Society news

    • Blogs & opinions

    • CPD & Training

    • Events

  • Qualifying and education

    • Qualifying and education

    • Qualifying as a Scottish solicitor

    • Career support and advice

    • Our work with schools

    • Lawscot Foundation

    • Funding your education

    • Social mobility

  • Research and policy

    • Research and policy

    • Research

    • Influencing the law and policy

    • Equality and diversity

    • Our international work

    • Legal Services Review

    • Meet the Policy team

  • For the public

    • For the public

    • What solicitors can do for you

    • Making a complaint

    • Client protection

    • Find a Solicitor

    • Frequently asked questions

    • Your Scottish solicitor

  • About us

    • About us

    • Contact us

    • Who we are

    • Our strategy, reports and plans

    • Help and advice

    • Our standards

    • Work with us

    • Our logo and branding

    • Equality and diversity

  1. Home
  2. News and events
  3. Legal news
  4. COPFS consults public on strategy to 2027

COPFS consults public on strategy to 2027

10th January 2023 | criminal law | Criminal legal aid

The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is consulting with the public on its new strategic plan, covering the period 2023-2027.

Last year, COPFS ran a consultation on an initial strategic plan framework. The present document, in addition to setting out COPFS's purpose and overall strategy, points up three "transformation priorities" – "priority areas where we will focus much of our improvement work over the next few years". These are:

  • women and children in justice – covering the prosecution of sexual offences and domestic abuse, along with the investigation of child deaths, where COPFS commits to service improvements, to improve women's experience of the justice system;
  • improved communication and support – for victims and bereaved relatives, during investigations and subsequent prosecutions; and
  • quicker conclusions to death and criminal investigations, particularly those involving children and vulnerable witnesses, aiming to deal with the post-Covid backlog of cases and reduce waiting times to pre-vivid levels.

The paper also sets out particular actions to achieve service improvements, deliver high quality casework, and support staff in delivering excellence.

Its aims are set against the context of the effect of the pandemic, including the number of additional deaths reported as well as the case backlog; the changing nature of crime in Scotland, now dominated by sexual crime, and the increased complexity of cases; additional funding that means that staffing and resources are now at an all time high; and a framework of reduced public spending over the plan period, which will put the onus on COPFS to "innovate, improve and deliver".

The plan is intended to be finalised in early 2023, and consultation runs only until 23 January. Responses can be submitted with via an online form or by email.

Access the plan here.

Add To Favorites

Additional

  • News and events

In this section

  • Law Society news
  • CPD & Training
  • Blogs & opinions
  • Events
  • 75th Anniversary

Categories

  • civil litigation
  • criminal law
  • employment
  • obituary
  • careers
  • practice management
  • law society of scotland
  • government-administration
  • welfare/benefits
  • family-child law
  • reparation
  • professional regulation
  • property (non-commercial)
  • insolvency
  • consumer
  • human rights
  • mental health-adult incapacity
  • planning/environment
  • europe
  • information technology
  • immigration
  • education-training
  • executries
  • corporate
  • commercial property
  • agriculture-crofting
  • dispute resolution
  • risk management
  • intellectual property
  • client relations
  • tax
  • licensing
  • banking-financial services
  • trusts-asset management
  • reviews
  • opinion
  • For the public
  • Research and policy
  • Regulation
  • Journal online news
  • interview

News Archive

  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013

Related articles

  • Jury trials to return to the islands in spring
  • SCTS revises criminal case backlog predictions
  • Current justice funding model unsustainable: MSP report
  • Crime figures up 3% in first full post-Covid year
Law Society of Scotland
Atria One, 144 Morrison Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8EX
If you’re looking for a solicitor, visit FindaSolicitor.scot
T: +44(0) 131 226 7411
E: lawscot@lawscot.org.uk
About us
  • Contact us
  • Who we are
  • Strategy reports plans
  • Help and advice
  • Our standards
  • Work with us
Useful links
  • Find a Solicitor
  • Sign in
  • CPD & Training
  • Rules and guidance
  • Website terms and conditions
Law Society of Scotland | © 2025
Made by Gecko Agency Limited