Scottish Prosecution College

2 Nov 2007 11:42 AM The new Scottish Prosecution College to provide training to prosecutors and prosecution staff across Scotland was officially opened in Glasgow today.

The College at Legal House at 101 Gorbals Street, is a modern, fully equipped, dedicated training centre, providing state of the art facilities to meet the needs of staff in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

It can cater for up to 70 staff and includes a number of specifically designed features such as a mock court room with audio visual links to separate interview rooms to enable legal staff to be trained in advocacy skills and the presentation of evidence via CCTV link.

In addition, the College also has its own video conferencing facilities and a learning resource centre which incorporates library facilities and internet access.

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC said:

"I am delighted to open the Scottish Prosecution College today. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has always maintained a strong commitment to providing training of the highest quality to our staff, designed to equip them to deliver the best possible service to the people we serve.

"This comprehensive, custom built facility will provide an excellent learning environment which will ensure our staff are up to date with the latest changes in the law and have the opportunity to practice and hone their advocacy skills.

"This college should assist us to develop specialisms and ensure we have professionally equipped prosecutors able to deal with increasingly complex, serious and organised crime."

Nicky Patrick, head of training and development for COPFS, said:

"I am delighted to welcome the Lord Advocate to the College which is now the primary venue for all training delivered by COPFS.

"We can all take pride in this new centre of excellence for learning and development. The College is equipped with the latest technology incorporating smart boards and audio visual equipment. This will enhance the professional quality of the courses provided by the College and improve the experience for the participants, the trainers and guest speakers who contribute to our events.

"The College is already having a significant impact on the capacity of the prosecution service to deliver major training programmes. In the course of this financial year the College will play a major role in the delivery of training for Summary Justice Reform and the Review of Sexual Offences, both of which will be delivered by a combination of e-learning and classroom based learning.

"We are confident that our new facility will further enhance opportunities for joint training with our partnership agencies. For example we have already delivered advocacy training to prosecutors from the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, and colleagues from the Scottish Court Service and Scottish Prison Service have participated in the COPFS Leadership Development Programme"

The training and organisational development division relocated to their new base at the Scottish Prosecution College from Argyle House in Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh on September 3.

Nine members of COPFS staff are based at the College permanently - The Head of Training who is a legal member of staff, one training manager, four trainers, one administrative manager, and two members of admin staff. There are currently a further four members of legal staff on secondment to the College to design and support the major programme of training planned for Summary Justice Reform.

The new college represents an investment of £720,000.

Related Information

http://www.copfs.gov.uk/