News In Focus

Crown witnesses getting text reminders from today

9 October 2012

Crown witnesses across Scotland are being sent reminders by text to attend court from today.

The scheme, which aims to avoid adjournments due to a witness forgetting to attend, follows a successful pilot at Edinburgh Sheriff Court begun in January this year. Of the witnesses contacted, 90% said they found it helpful and 7% said they would not otherwise have remembered to attend court.

The pilot was delivered in partnership with the Scottish Court Service and Lothian & Borders police.

Speaking on today’s rollout, Catherine Dyer, the Crown Agent, said: “This scheme, developed in partnership with police and the court service, taps directly into modern methods of communication and delivers a service that we know witnesses find helpful, and which I am confident will make the whole court process more efficient.”