Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21680 on 1 March 2019.
In addition, the Restorative Justice Action Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/restorative-justice-action-plan/ , published in June, sets out in more detail the analysis which underpinned its development and the actions planned to achieve our vision of having restorative justice available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it, and at a time that is appropriate to the people and cases involved. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has regular discussions with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to discuss a range of prison policy and operational matters.

This information is not held centrally.

Police Officer Quarterly Strength Scotland (POQS) gives the total number of full-time equivalent police officers employed by Police Scotland. First published as Official Statistics in December 2008, POQS was designed to measure the implementation of the 2007 manifesto commitment to increase officer numbers by 1,000. As such, figures include all police officers appointed by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland and senior police officers appointed by the Scottish Police Authority, excluding those on career breaks.

The latest edition of POQS was published on 6 August 2019, and reports that there were 17,259 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 30 June 2019, up 87 police officers (+0.5%) in the last year, from 30 June 2018 and up 1,025 police officers (+6.3%) from the position at 31 March 2007.

Deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. Police Scotland publish sub-national police officer numbers on a quarterly basis in parallel with the Scottish Government’s Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics. A link to Police Scotland’s latest sub-national officer numbers publication, providing information on the number of police officers deployed nationally, regionally and within the 13 local policing divisions, is given below:

https://www.scotland.police.uk/assets/pdf/138327/212520/police-scotland-officer-numbers-quarter-1-30th-june2019?view=Standar .

The independent jury research commissioned by the Scottish Government is due to be published on Wednesday 9 October 2019.

The Scottish Government is planning to host a launch event for the research on that day, with attendees invited from the legal profession, third sector, justice organisations, the Justice Committee, defence agents, and other key stakeholders.

After publication the Scottish Government will engage widely to seek views on the findings and any implications for future criminal justice reforms.

Our vision, as set out in the Restorative Justice Action Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/restorative-justice-action-plan/ , published in June, is to have restorative justice (RJ) available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it, and at a time that is appropriate to the people and cases involved.

The Plan also explains that RJ is offered as a further option in how justice can be experienced across the communities of Scotland.

In line with the Scottish Government Guidance for the Delivery of Restorative Justice https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-delivery-restorative-justice-scotland/ , risk assessments must be carried out throughout the RJ process and will take full cognisance of the role of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) as the independent public prosecution service for Scotland. In that respect, RJ will not impinge on any ongoing criminal proceedings. Decisions relating to the prosecution or diversion of a case from prosecution are matters solely for COPFS.

The number of officers armed with Taser on a day to day basis is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Any plan to increase the number of officers equipped with Taser would be subject to wide consultation by Police Scotland.

We have established the Victims Taskforce to improve the experiences of victims of crime as they interact with the justice system We have also committed to improving the support and information available to victims and their families in relation to temporary prison release arrangements.

Victims are informed that it is the role of the Scottish Prison Service to ensure that the sentence is served in accordance with the law, to challenge the factors that lead to the offending in the first place and to help individuals prepare for their return to the community better prepared to live a life free of offending should they wish to do so. This includes improving their work prospects by teaching new skills, providing education and work opportunities as well as ensuring that the necessary systems are in place to support the individual as well as manage any risks. However, if a representation (by individuals who have joined the Victim Notification Scheme) contains information which is relevant to risk this may prevent a prisoner from being temporarily released.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

Operational guidance has been developed to support our staff to better understand how to minimise exposure to unknown substances. As new and emerging substances come to our attention, this guidance will be reviewed in order to ensure that the health and safety of staff is maintained at all times. SPS also has robust mail handling procedures in place across all Scottish prisons to deter and disrupt attempts to introduce illicit articles to the prison estate and support the identification of any substances recovered.

SPS is currently trialling technology across a number of sites to support the identification of illicit substances on paper. Early indications suggest that this technology is preventing illicit substances from entering our prisons.

A Strategic Risk and Threat Group (SRTG) has also been established which is responsible for providing an overview of any emerging threats and the deployment of resources and tactical options. The SRTG is responsible for the management of a national tasking log which supports planned programmes of large scale tactical searching across the estate. These searches are frequently supported by trained drug detection dogs able to identify illicit substances which have been impregnated on to paper.

The Children (Scotland) Bill, formerly referred to as the Family Law Bill, was introduced on 2 September 2019.

The Family Justice Modernisation Strategy was published on 3 September 2019. This will set out work that is ongoing by Scottish Government and others; work that can be done via secondary legislation or by improved guidance; areas covered by the Bill; and areas that are for longer term work.

Our Guidance for the Delivery of Restorative Justice in Scotland https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-delivery-restorative-justice-scotland/ , published in 2017, provides direction to ensure that, where restorative justice services are available, these are delivered in a coherent, consistent and victim-focused manner.

In addition, our vision as set out in the Restorative Justice Action Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/restorative-justice-action-plan/ , published in June, seeks to ensure the needs of persons harmed and their voices are central to the restorative justice process.