Union voices concerns over Crown Office cuts By EDIDE BARNES Published on Sunday 26 February 2012 00:24 CUTS in the justice system have led to plummeting staff morale and over-work and might mean criminals walking free, union chiefs are warning. An internal survey of staff at the government's Crown Office has revealed a slump in morale and confidence in the organisation, with employees less positive about the future of the service in every single category than in previous years. More than one in ten staff said they had faced bullying or harassment from colleagues or managers in the past 12 months. The findings prompted warnings from union leaders last night about the knock-on effects of falling morale within the service, which administers and oversees criminal prosecutions in Scotland. Jim Caldwell, Scottish secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior managers and professionals in the public services, said: "Our concern is that unless immediate steps are taken to address the issues in this survey... there will be a significant detrimental effect on our members" health and wellbeing. We also fear that this may result in cases being put at risk as they struggle to continue to deliver a high-quality system of public prosecution. Union concern follows warnings that criminals might already be walking free. It emerged in November that there was a growing backlog, with the number of unprocessed criminal cases sitting in the Crown Office doubling from 7,000 to 14,000 over the previous six-month period. As a number of statutory offences - including knife carrying and most road traffic offences - must be dealt with within six months of the crime being committed, there were concerns the backlog could cause some cases to miss the time bar and mistakes to be made in others. Procurators fiscal have also warned they are struggling to find sufficient staff to cover courts because of service cutbacks. The staff survey assessed a variety of issues, from satisfaction at work, to work-life balance. On no question were staff found to be more positive about their jobs compared with the last time they were asked. Just a third said the organisation was managed well and only a quarter had confidence in the decisions made by senior managers. One in ten staff said they wanted to leave the Crown Office as soon as possible, up 5 per cent from the last time they were asked. A further 10 per cent said they wanted to leave within 12 months. While staff generally said they were interested in their work and were treated fairly, only 32 per cent said they would recommend the Crown Office as a "great" place to work, down 15 per cent from the previous survey. A spokesman for the Crown Office said it was "disappointing" that the results were "not as good" as previous years. He said: "Along with all other public sector organisations, we have had to make a number of significant changes to enable us to deal with new challenges and deliver further improvements throughout these difficult times. Our staff are exceptionally dedicated and committed. They have been working very hard to ensure a high level of service to the communities of Scotland. We accept that the amount of change required over a short period as COPFS [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service] restructures to adapt to the current climate has had an unsettling effect on many of our staff. In partnership with our trade unions, we are working address the issues identified. He added: "We do not tolerate any form of bullying, harassment and discrimination. Any instances which are reported to management are taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly. A spokesman for the Law Society of Scotland said: "Like the rest of the public sector, the COPFS is facing major challenges in terms of its budget, which is requiring difficult decisions and changes in working." He added: "The COPFS is absolutely central to Scotland's criminal justice system and the strength of the service comes from its staff, many of whom are solicitors and members of the society. I am sure any report suggesting a drop in the morale and motivation of those staff will be taken seriously by the COPFS management board. Labour's justice spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: "Responsibility for leadership in the Crown Office rests with the justice secretary. We know the Crown Office is being asked to do ever more work for ever less money, so people will wonder why Kenny MacAskill is not on top of this situation.