West of Scotland Racial Equality Council Ltd

WSREC currently seconds a member of staff to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and has been doing so since 2001.  The aim of this unique partnership to provide the Criminal Justice System with expert advice and practical help in their Diversity and Equality Policy and also the Implementation Programme within the West Region. This covers four of the local Procurator Fiscal Offices namely Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Argyll& Clyde.

Framework
WSREC officers are engaged in following:

• Two strand Networking and Consultation.
• The organisation of PF staff' visits to places of worship, minority ethnic groups and projects. This provides opportunities for minority individuals and groups to form link with local PF Offices. It also provides an opportunity for confidence building of the PF staff, and BME organisations, group and individuals.
• Serve on the Diversity and Equality Team Meetings in each area that operate in multiple stakeholder environment, the local communities and Criminal justice System organisations that are involved in the local structure.
• Establishment of Local PF BME Consultative Groups in each area and regular meetings to ensure the local services will meet local needs by fully involving the diverse community. It is a grassroots approach to diversity and equality and very real understanding of what many minority ethnic people would like to see happen.

A number of consultation events are held on specific functional issues such as Domestic Abuse, Sudden Deaths, and Criminal Offence etc. The issues concerning diverse cultures and practices, which have implications for the Justice System, are identified at local level and fed into policy and planning at central Victim and Diversity Policy Development Division( VDPDD) for their consideration.

Other areas of professional assistance provided by the WSREC Officers are as follow:

• Assist with recruitment and training which includes the dissemination of information on current vacancies.
• Assist with interpreting and translation issues.
• Carry out local services review.
• Assist with complex cases.
• Identify cultural issues and advise local Procurator Fiscal and the staff on any issues concerning diversity and equality in respect of Criminal Justice Services.

For further information please go on the following links;

COPFS Website

Find an Office

Info on Diversity