Are you one of the thousands of people who have given evidence for the prosecution at Edinburgh Sheriff Court? If so then you may wish to record your views on a recently established survey.
The survey asks prosecution witnesses to share their views and experiences of being cited to give evidence in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
This is part of a joint review being carried out by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, is set to look into how the experience of being cited to attend court can be improved.
It will also consider whether there is scope to modernise and achieve greater efficiency in
the citation process. Anyone who has been cited as a prosecution witness for a sheriff court case in the last
three years – including at Edinburgh Sheriff Court – is being asked to complete the short
survey.
This includes members of the public who have been the victim of a crime or who have
witnessed a crime, as well as professional witnesses.
Responses to the survey will help shape the inspection’s findings and recommendations.
HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution in Scotland, Laura Paton, said: “We want people to tell
us about their experience of being cited, what worked well and what could be improved.
“The survey will ask people to think about a recent case they were involved in. For those
who have been involved in several cases, there is also an opportunity at the end to tell us
more generally about all their experiences of being cited.
“Responses to the survey are completely anonymous. We do not ask for anyone’s name
or any personal details.
“All the information gathered will be used to help us assess how well the citation process
works.”
Two short surveys have been designed:
One is aimed at specifically at police officers and police staff – and will be available to
access only via the Police Scotland Intranet.
The second is for anyone who has been cited as a prosecution witness.
The deadline for responding to the survey is 5pm, Friday, 4 April 2025.
For more information and to complete the survey click here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
