THE number of solicitors signing up to a police station duty scheme has more than doubled since the Law Society of Scotland gave the controversial system the green light.
The Law Society last month advised its members to sign up to the scheme after it was widely boycotted by the profession.
At that point just 161 solicitors had joined the scheme, which was introduced after the Cadder ruling on police interviews.
But the latest figures from the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) show that 371 solicitors have now signed up – an increase of 210.
A spokesman for SLAB said: “We continue to see an increase in the number of private solicitors participating in the police station duty scheme, following the decision by the Law Society and local faculties that solicitors should participate.
“Feedback from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland has been very positive about the operation of the scheme and initial analysis suggests that it enables earlier and greater certainty of advice to suspects than was previously the case.”
The Scottish Government also welcomed the news. A spokesman said: “We welcome the rise in solicitors taking part in the police station duty scheme, ensuring that suspects have access to legal advice before being questioned by police.
“The Scottish Legal Aid Board has been doing a good job managing the scheme in challenging circumstances following the decision forced on us from the UK Supreme Court.”
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