David Harvie appointed crown agent

Mr Harvie is a solicitor advocate and is currently procurator fiscal for the West of Scotland.

Speaking after his appointment he said: “It is a real privilege to lead Scotland’s prosecution service and its talented, hard working staff.

“We have a strong track record of success in prosecuting crime in Scotland.

“In recent years we have adopted a specialist approach which has helped to increase public confidence in the way we prosecute a range of crimes including sexual offences, counter terrorism, serious organised crime and cold cases.”

Welcoming the appointment the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC said: “David will be an excellent crown agent and he takes over at an exciting time for the prosecution service and its talented staff.

“I’m confident David will continue to drive the prosecution service forward ensuring its priorities continue to reflect the priorities of the Scottish people”.

“David inherits a strong legacy from his predecessor Catherine Dyer who was responsible for creating a modern, compassionate Crown Office.”

Mr Harvie joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, following a spell in private practice, in 1996. He worked as a procurator fiscal depute in Paisley until 1999, when he was seconded to the Lockerbie criminal trial team until after the trial, when he was promoted to principal depute, Aberdeen.

In 2001 he was seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before returning to Crown Office in 2004 where he held the post of head of the national casework division with responsibility for organised crime, financial crime and proceeds of crime cases throughout Scotland.

He was later promoted to director of serious casework and went on to head the fiscal service in the West of Scotland.