Standards of service for victims and witnesses

Section 2 of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 requires Police Scotland, The Parole Board for Scotland the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and the Scottish Prison Service to set and publish standards of service for victims and witnesses.

All of our standards will be monitored, reviewed and reported on annually.

Being a victim of crime can be an upsetting and difficult experience. Witnessing a crime can also be upsetting.

We appreciate this. We have the following standards which we hope will improve your experience:

• A victim or witness should be able to get information about what is happening in the investigation or proceedings
• The safety of a victim or witness should be ensured during and after the investigation and proceedings
• A victim or witness should have access to support during and after the investigation and proceedings
• A victim or witness should be able to participate effectively in the investigation and proceedings.

In relation to obtaining information, you can also expect that:

• You should have access to relevant information at an early stage and at appropriate points in the process
• This should include information on procedures, your role in them (if any), reports on progress (giving an explanation of any delays) and outcomes of criminal proceedings
• If possible, where you can get further information and assistance
• You should be able to understand the information that is given to you.
• The language should be easy to understand and the information should be available in alternative languages or formats if needed
• You should be told who to contact if you want to discuss the information that has been provided and anything you do not understand will be explained to you.

You can view this, and the original standards of service document below.

Please phone us on 101 if you would like this information in a different format or language.

Related Documents

Standards of Service for Victim and Witnesses Annual Report 2023-24 This document was not created by Police Scotland and may not be fully accessible. 

Standards of Service for Victims and Witnesses This document was not created by Police Scotland and may not be fully accessible.

Related Links

• Victims and Witnesses
• Victim Support Services
• Victim Support Scotland
• Access to Information
• How can we provide the best support to people affected by crime?
• MyGov.scot, Victims Code for Scotland
• MyGov.scot, Further advice for Victims and Witnesses