SCOTTISH
POLICE FEDERATION
5 Woodside Place, Glasgow, G3 7QF
MEDIA
RELEASE
The Scottish Police Federation represents all police officers in the
ranks of chief inspector and below, about 16,000 people, over 98%
of all police officers in Scotland.
To:
Date:
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Editor
20
September 2005
Police
Time Spent at Court |
Kenny
McAskill of the SNP today proposed that savings in police time spent
at court could be achieved if greater scrutiny of witnesses' evidence
was undertaken before the trial got underway.
Joe
Grant , General Secretary Elect of the Scottish Police Federation
said,
“More
could be made of the Intermediate Trial arrangements. Right now, of
every 10 officers required to attend court less than one actually
gives evidence, I imagine it's the same for victims and members of
the public, who are even more frustrated at time wasting. If there
was an ability to critically examine the need for a particular witness
and pretty rigorous decisions were then made, the benefits to speed
of justice and police patrol time are a prize worth having.
It
is not only police officers who think this way, both Lord Bonomy and
Sheriff McInnes, recommended better management of trials. While, the
Police have adopted a new system in Aberdeen called “Clean Stream”
and this seems to be achieving benefits we can demonstrate that we
are doing our bit. However, to make fundamental and long lasting improvements
we need initiatives like these to flow through the entire Criminal
Justice System.”
