without) the trial must commence within 12 months of the date of first appearance in court. Procurators fiscal work in the local sheriffdom and most of the fiscal offices in Scotland are either in or near the sheriff court. The procurator fiscal is also responsible for the investigation of all sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths in Scotland. This includes the decision to call a fatal accident inquiry. He or she is also responsible for the independent investigation of criminal police complaints made in that sherrifdom (administrative complaints are handled by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC)). Prosecution of crimes The law in Scotland does not say that a crime must be prosecuted and the procurators fiscals have considerable discretion over what action to take. They can choose the level at which to prosecute (either through solemn or summary procedure) with the accused having no right to choose a jury trial or for a victim to decide whether or not to press charges, as the decision on whether to try and by which method belongs to the prosecutor as "Master of the Instance". Until 1987, however, their discretion only extended to the degree to which they should prosecute, if at all; there were no alternatives to prosecution. The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987 gave procurators fiscal the power to offer fixed penalties instead of prosecution (a fiscal fine), at the time limited to a maximum of £25 and subsequently increased to £300. Since then these options have expanded to giving a warning, fiscal fines, compensation orders, work orders, road traffic fixed penalties or diversion from prosecution into social work, psychological counselling or psychiatric treatment. COPFS Federations COPFS is organised into three geographic Federations led by Procurators Fiscal for the North, East and West of Scotland. Within the federations, there is a network of 37 Procurator Fiscal offices (including the Crown Office). Victim Information and Advice Service Victim Information and Advice Service (VIA) is a dedicated and specialised victim information and advice service within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. VIA was created to provide information to victims, bereaved next of kin and keeping them informed about the progress of a case. It also has a duty to advise on and facilitate referral to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required. VIA works closely with other statutory agencies, such as the Police and the Courts and with voluntary