What is COPFS's relationship with the police?
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) works closely with police divisional commanders at local level, with Chief Constables at force level and at national level with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (
ACPOS).
The roles of COPFS and the police are complementary, and regular dialogue and co-operation enables problems and issues to be dealt with efficiently and effectively.
The Procurator Fiscal in Scotland has an investigative role and can provide instructions and directions to the police in connection with their investigations. This happens particularly in serious cases, where the police work very closely with the Procurator Fiscal. In cases of sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths, the Procurator Fiscal has responsibility during the early stages of the investigation to arrange a post mortem examination by forensic pathologists.