North Prosecution Team
In December 2005 the team from the North Criminal Justice Unit, which prosecutes cases at Chesterfield and Buxton magistrates' courts, moved from Derby to co-locate with the police at Chesterfield police station.
This unit - known as the North Prosecution Unit - was officially opened by Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC and Derbyshire Chief Constable, David Coleman.
The unit brings prosecutors and police officers together for the very first time to form one co-ordinated prosecution team. Police and CPS staff will work together from the very beginning of a case to make sure all key elements are in place, such as the right charge and good witness support, so that the case can proceed more smoothly once it reaches court.
This collaborative way of working supports the Charging and No Witness, No Justice initiatives and brings a number of significant benefits for both police and CPS staff:
- Improved communication from more face to face working
- Stronger working relationships
- Investigating officers can discuss case specific issues with a CPS lawyer at the station
- Lawyers and caseworkers are based closer to the courts in which they work
- Reduced delays / less time taken to resolve queries
- Streamlined procedures free up administration time, avoid duplication of resources and lead to cost and efficiency savings