We have today published a Terms of Reference for an inspection of how effectively and efficiently prosecution witnesses are cited to give evidence in the sheriff court. This includes members of the public who have been the victim of a crime or who have witnessed a crime, as well as police and professional witnesses. We will consider whether and how the experience of being cited to attend court can be improved, and whether there is scope to modernise and achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in the citation process.
The inspection will be carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland. Working together will allow us to consider the citation process from both a prosecution and policing perspective.
In support of our inspection, we have also launched a survey asking witnesses to share their views and experiences on being cited to give evidence in the sheriff court. The survey is open to those who have been cited as prosecution witnesses in the last three years. The deadline for survey responses is 5.00pm on Friday, 4 April 2025.
To access the survey, visit: https://forms.office.com/e/Yhwjwe0zbr
Find out more about our inspection in our Terms of Reference