Question reference: S4W-29261
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 12 January 2016
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Current status: Answered by Frank Mulholland QC on 20 January 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what procedures are in place to assist victims of hate crimes in monitoring the progress of their case.
Answer
All victims have a right to request and be told about progress of a case following the coming into force of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014. The recently published Victims’ Code for Scotland and Standards of Service for Victims and Witnesses, agreed and published by the agencies involved in the criminal justice system, set out what victims can expect and who to contact for further information about the case. Victims are entitled to information about their case from Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. Information can be requested throughout criminal investigation and proceedings.
In certain categories of cases the COPFS Victim and Information Advice (VIA) service will proactively keep victims advised without the victim having to request such information. One of these categories is all cases involving hate crime. In addition the COPFS VIA service can facilitate referral to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required.