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Fears over direction of Procurator Fiscal service





Inverness Court which is a home from home for the Procurator Fiscal and his team
Inverness Court which is a home from home for the Procurator Fiscal and his team

A Highland solicitor fears the procurator fiscal’s service is becoming too remote from the people it is meant to serve.

Inverness criminal lawyer Duncan Henderson’s comments come days after the fiscal’s service in Inverness relocated from Baron Taylor’s Street to a new headquarters at Great Glen House, the building at Kinmylies occupied by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Mr Henderson said: "My concern is it will make it even harder both for myself as a solicitor and for members of the public to communicate with the fiscal’s office.

"Traditionally members of the public could walk to the fiscal’s office in Baron Taylor’s Street from the court if they had any difficulty with their expenses claims.

"At the end of the day witnesses are being considerably inconvenienced when they are called to give evidence in court and the expenses they can claim in many cases in no way covers their losses.

"When they are summoned to give evidence they receive a form which they can fill in and send in their claim by post. But often they have to check what they are entitled to and the only way they can do that is to speak to someone at the fiscal’s service.

"Now they will have to drive or get a taxi to the new office and that is if they can find it or even afford a taxi if they don’t have a car."

Mr Henderson said the fiscal’s service introduced a new phone system last year which deals with all enquires through a call centre.

"It can take a long time to get through and you are not dealing with someone from the local office. The public also have to pay for these calls and I believe they should be free,"

He added that at the moment the fiscal’s office in Inverness doesn’t have a working fax machine which creates constant problems for both solicitors and witnesses.

"It was a problem before they moved and it has not been resolved.

"The service should be making themselves more available to the people they are meant to be serving and I think they are getting less accessible. I foresee problems.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "As the lease on the premises at Baron Taylor’s Street is shortly to expire, the Inverness Procurator Fiscal’s Office has now moved to Great Glen House, Inverness.

"The PF office will be co-located within the existing Scottish Government building. This is in accordance with the Scottish Government’s estates policy."


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