Bullying in Courts - 9 August 2004

The FDA the union which represents deputes and other senior staff in the Procurator Fiscal Service, issues this statement in response to the recent press reports and subsequent letters from members of the Scottish legal system in relation to bullying in the Courts. Jonathan Baume, FDA General Secretary, said: "Everyone would agree that bullying or aggressive behaviour by anyone involved in the criminal justice system should not be tolerated. The work of deputes is critical to the criminal justice system in Scotland and our members should not be expected to tolerate bullying or aggressive behaviour. Of course, there are often robust exchanges in the context of a prosecution in the criminal courts and our members are well able to deal with that. However, any behaviour that goes beyond that is unacceptable. "We fully endorse the approach being taken by the Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and we are working closely with senior managers in COPFS in relation to these issues." Ends Notes for Editors 1. The FDA is the trade union and professional body representing the UK's 11,000 senior civil and public servants. Our members include policy advisors, senior managers, tax inspectors, economists, statisticians, accountants, special advisers, government lawyers, crown prosecutors and NHS managers. 2. For further information contact: