Prosecutors given £3.6m to fund extra staff

Scotland's prosecution service has been given an additional £3.6m in-year budget to help it handle its increasingly complex caseload.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) will use the money to recruit up to 140 permanent staff, including 60 additional lawyers. They will be deployed in functions including the Scottish Fatalities Investigations Unit, National Sexual Crimes Unit and Victim Information & Advice, as well as in local court teams across Scotland.

COPFS said the "significant resource" had been agreed by the Scottish Government "in response to the changing profile and complexity of caseload".

Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC, head of the prosecution service, commented: "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."