CPS Wiltshire

Area Business Plan 2003 -2004

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

Local Information

This business plan sets out the framework and priorities of the work of the Crown ProsecutionService within the Area of Wiltshire for the year 2003/2004.

The local prosecution service covers the geographical county of Wiltshire including theunitary authority of Swindon.

The five Magistrates courts, dealing with criminal matters, in the County are located inSwindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes and Salisbury, although there are plans to close the two smaller courts at Devizes and Trowbridge, but not during the lifetime of this plan.These five courts have petty sessional boundaries, which are drawn along the same lines asthe three police divisions. These are North West Wiltshire, South East Wiltshire and Swindon.

More serious criminal cases are heard in the Crown Courts located in Swindon and Salisbury.However, the most serious cases are heard at Bristol and Winchester Crown Courts.

The Wiltshire Constabulary Headquarters are situated in Devizes with Divisional Headquarters in Swindon, Salisbury and Melksham. Each division has an operational supportunit that forms the basis of a Criminal Justice Unit. CPS prosecutors and Designated Caseworkers attend the police stations regularly to review cases and to offer advice tooperational police officers. The Wiltshire Area CPS Office is situated in the town of Chippenham which itself enjoys good communication links, possessing a main line rail link toLondon & the West Country and the M4 situated just North of the town. However, within the county, links are rather poor from North to South resulting in an hours travelling time by roadfrom the office to service the Salisbury Courts.

The Crown Prosecution Service in Wiltshire employs a dedicated team of staff consisting oflawyers, Designated Caseworkers, Crown Court Caseworkers and a team of administrators.The Area is divided into four departments. There is the Criminal Justice Unit that deals withcases in the Magistrates Court, a Trials Unit, which deals with cases in the Crown Court, aYouth Unit which, deals with all cases involving young defendants and finally the Area Secretariat, which provides personnel planning, facilities management and finance services tothe Area.

How the area contributes to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal JusticeSystem

The Crown Prosecution Service works with the other agencies in the Criminal Justice Systemto reduce crime and it’s associated social and economic costs. As such the Service has aprimary objective to ensure the effective delivery of justice.

The Crown Prosecution Service in Wiltshire has developed it’s own vision statement tosupport this goal:

“The purpose of CPS Wiltshire is to provide the local community with a high qualityprosecution service, playing a central part in the local Criminal Justice System. We will treatall people fairly, professionally and respectfully.”

How the plan was constructed

Staff at all levels have been consulted in the development of this plan to ensure that the objectives which have been set are considered to be realistic, achievable goals which staff areaware of and happy with.

The plan is set against a background of new initiatives and reforms within the CrownProsecution Service and the Criminal Justice System as a whole.

The publication of The White Paper ‘Justice for All’ recommended that the Crown Prosecution Service take over responsibility for determining the charge in all but the most minor offences. Ensuring the right charge is applied in the first instance should guard against the expectations of victims and witnesses being disappointed, thus improving public confidence and reducing delays in processing cases through the system.

Improvements in IT are seen as an essential element in helping the Crown Prosecution Service meet it’s targets. The Service is implementing a new Case Management System –COMPASS. Wiltshire will see this new system up and running in April 2003. The system should greatly assist in the management and administration of cases through the system thus providing the tools to deliver an efficient, high quality service.

Underpinning the success of these new initiatives and reforms are the commitment and professionalism of staff and the standing of the Crown Prosecution Service within the Criminal Justice System and local communities. CPS Wiltshire is committed to the continuing professional development of it’s staff and working closely with it’s partners to provide a ‘joined-up’ Criminal Justice System. We plan to continue to raise awareness,through community engagement, of the role of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Arrangements for monitoring/review

This plan is a living document which will be reviewed in the light of any changes in CPS policy and delivery targets agreed by the Local Criminal Justice Board. The Delivery Plan and the Risk Register will be reviewed by the Area Management Team on a regular basis to enable them to keep track of the Area’s progress on our objectives and implement any remedial action or revised targets.

Analysis of the current position

CPS Wiltshire starts this financial year in a strong position having received a very good report on it’s performance from the HMCPSI Inspection of CPS Wiltshire. In fact Wiltshire was first in a league table of area casework performance based on the Inspectorates findings.

The Inspectorate recognised the problems faced due to the rural nature of the county and this will continue to impact on the Area. However, the Area’s experienced and committed staff will continue to be a strong enabling factor in achieving high standards of performance.

An Action Plan was devised to address recommendations made by the Inspectorate and is reviewed by the Area Management Team at regular intervals to ensure objectives are met.

I commend this Business Plan to our staff, our partner CJS Agencies and the people of Wiltshire. It provides a vision of the way forward and the appropriate data to judge our performance in operational matters. We will continually review and where necessary improve the service we provide in order to meet our aim to help in the reduction of crime and the fear of crime and to promote confidence in the Rule of Law by prosecuting offenders fairly and efficiently.

Nick Hawkins Chief Crown Prosecutor

SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES, PRIORITIES AND THE DELIVERY OF PSA TARGETS

The area objectives in this plan are derived ultimately from the targets set in the PublicService Agreement. They are to:

• Improve the delivery of justice by increasing the number of crimes for which anoffender is brought to justice, to 1.2 million by 2005-2006; with an improvement inall CJS areas, a greater increase in the worst performing areas and a reduction in theproportion of ineffective trials.
• Improve the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system, includingincreasing that of ethnic minority communities, and increasing year on year thesatisfaction of victims and witnesses, whilst respecting the rights of defendants.
• Increase value for money from the criminal justice system by 3% a year.

The 2003-2004 priorities for CPS Wiltshire therefore support these aims:

Narrowing the Justice Gap - Area Actions

• Bring an additional 543 offences to justice in the year 2003/2004
• Implementation of the charging initiative

This will be accomplished by:

• Developing an inter-agency premium service for persistent offenders
• Increasing witness confidence in attending court
• Reducing the number of cracked and ineffective trials by effective case management
• Increasing the number of domestic violence offenders brought to justice
• Developing an effective system for providing early charging advice on all but theminor cases including piloting extended hours coverage.

Improving the level of public confidence - Area Actions

• Continuing to monitor and improve the treatment of victims and witnesses
• Engaging with the local community

This will be accomplished by:

• Ensuring all lawyers have attended Speaking Up for Justice training
• Improving performance with regard to the issuing and timeliness of letters sent tovictims when a case is dropped or the charges substantially altered
• Raising the profile of Victim Personal Statementso Ensure all lawyers have attended the Racially and Religiously Aggravated Crime Course and inviting representatives of outside organisations to attend such courses
• Attending other external training such as the Multi-Cultural Awareness Days
• Liasing with the Equality and Diversity Officer for the south west region to developan area strategy for promoting CPS Wiltshire to the local community

Value for Money – Area Actions

• Introduction of the new case management computer system
• Deployment of HCAs

This will be accomplished by:

• Ensuring all staff are trained and the new system is up and running by the target date.
• Lawyer rota /consultation with court listing officers to maximise deployment ofHCAs

Delivery Plan and Budget/Resource Analysis

The Delivery Plan provides a detailed breakdown of target dates and actions, which the areaneeds to meet in order to achieve our objectives. This is followed by a budget/resource paper setting out the costs and resources involved in carrying out the Delivery Plan.

ACTION/DELIVERY PLAN FOR CPS WILTSHIRE 2003/2004

National Objective: Narrowing the justice Gap

Area Objective

To bring an additional 543 recorded offences to justice in the year2003/2004 (baseline 10,851 offences in the year 2001/2002)

Responsibility: Lead CJU head

Targets/Actions

CPS Wiltshire is adopting and using the County Action Plan for Narrowing the Justice Gap and the Premium Service for the prosecution of Persistent Offenders

Area Objective

Effective and resource efficient implementation of the new Charging initiative

Responsibility: Lead - CJU team leader

Targets/Actions

• Pilot of ‘C’ division to start by 31 May 2003
• ‘A’ division implementation by 31 July 2003
• ‘D’ division implementation by 30 Sept 2003

National Objective: Improving the level of Public Confidence

Area Objective

Continue to monitor and improve the treatment of victims and witnesses

Responsibility: Area Training officer, CJU Team Leader, CJU Head, CJU & TU Head

Targets/Actions

• Ensure all lawyers have attended the Speaking Up For Justice training course by 31 March 2004
• Increase to 75 % (from the national average of 70%) the number of letters sent to victims within 5 days of the decision to discontinue or substantially alter charges
• Raise the profile of Victim Personal Statements with lawyers by issuing instructions to lawyers to ensure they are used in court. Target Date: 30 June 2003
• Ensure that 96% of complaint letters received from members of the public/MPs are answered within the set national timescales

National Objective: Improving the level of Public Confidence

Area Objective

Community Engagement and to meet our duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act to positively promote race equality and good race relations

Responsibility: Lead - Area Business Manager

Targets/Actions

• Ensuring all lawyers have attended training on Racially & Religiously Aggravated Crime by 31 December 2003
• Ensuring that a representative from a suitable organisation is invited to attend each course
• Arranging for staff to attend the Multicultural Awareness Day training course organised by the Wheatsheaf Trust by 31 December 2003
• Establishing community engagement targets for the area with the EDO by 30 September 2003 – to include promoting The CPS to outside organisations eg. Schools etc
• Ensure new ABM attends Race Hate Crime Forum on a regular basis and promotes relevant CPS Policies
• Continued area representation on the LGBT Network

National Objective: Value for Money

Area Objective

• Introduction of the new case management computer system
• Deployment of HCAs

Responsibility: Lead - TU Head

Targets/Actions

• Area to go live: 7 April 2003
• All staff to be trained on the new system by 30 April 2003
• Monitoring of benefits by issuing a quarterly staff survey
• Development of interface with the police by 30 September 2003
• To meet the target for HCA sessions or review by 30 June 2003
• To increase the number of crown court trials undertaken by HCAs by 30 July 2003

Budget Resource Analysis

National Objective: Narrowing the Justice Gap

Area Objective 1

Bring an additional 543 offences to justice in the year 2003/2004

Actions

Developing inter-agency service for persistent offenders

Increasing witness confidence in attending court

Reducing the number of cracked/ineffective trials

Increasing the number of domestic violence offenders brought to justice

Resources

CJU Head:

Meetings to develop inter-agency service or persistent offenders Time / T&S

Quarterly case completion meetings Time / T&S

Meeting to develop system for staggering of witnesses Time / T&S

Meeting with police to finalise Domestic Violence Service Level Agreement Time / T&S

Coverage of 5 extra district judge courts per week during April, May and June to tackle cracked/ineffective trial figures

Negotiated fees for Agents sessions £12,000

Area Objective 2

Implementation of the Charging initiative including extended hours coverage

Actions

Pilot of C division – 31 May 2003

A division implementation – 31 July 2003

D division implementation – 30 September 2003

Resources

CJU Team Leader: Meetings with police to establish system Time / T&S

50K budget allocation to cover 1 x extra lawyer and development of technical equipment for out of hours cover to include 1 x laptop and mobile phone

£34000 C1 lawyer / £10000 equipment

£6,000 contingencies, furniture, GAE

National Objective Improving the Level of Public Confidence

Area Objective 1

Continue to monitor and improve the treatment of victims and witnesses

Actions

All lawyers to complete Speaking Up for Justice training Improve performance for issuing of letters sent to victims

Raise the profile of victim personal statements

Set target for complaint letters replied to within national timescales

Resources

Lawyer training costs (agent cover, accommodation, T&S)

Costing pppd £230 agents/ £90 accommodation/ T&S

Training and time of new CJU Business Manager to take on the role of Victim & Witness Co-ordinator Time / T&S

Area Objective 2

Engaging with the local community

Actions

All lawyers to complete Racially & Religiously Aggravated Crime Course and representatives from outside agencies to be invited to attend

Representative number of staff to attend Multicultural Awareness training

Establish community engagement targets with EDO

ABM attendance on Race Hate Crime Forum

Area representation on LGBT Network

Resources

Lawyer training costs (agent cover) £230 per day

£75 per head for staff to attend Multicultural Awareness training £75 pp attendance / £230 agents pp x 6 staff

Time out of office/court to attend events and give talks to promote The CPS Time / T&S

National Objective Value for Money

Area Objective 1

Introduction of new case management computer system

Actions

Staff training

Monitoring of benefits

Liaison with police

Resources

Local Implementation Team meetings Time / T&S

Training costs will be neutral to the area as funding is provided to cover agents costs during training

Meetings with police to develop police interface Time / T&S

Area Objective 2

Deployment of HCAs

Actions

Meet the agreed target for HCA sessions for the year 2003/2004

Increase the number of crown court trials undertaken by HCAs

Resources

Lawyer resources for training and deployment

Time / Extra lawyer or extra agents to cover Magistrates’ sessions not covered due to HCA Court work

KEY RISKS TO ACHIEVEMENT OF PSA TARGETS 2003-2004

AREA/ SERVICE CENTRE: P43 - Wiltshire

No.	Risk	Owner	Liklihood/ Impact	Existing Countermeasures	Risk Assessment Effectiveness and Sufficiency of countermeasures	Risk Status (red/ amber/ green)	Proposed Countermeasures (with action review date)
1	Value for Money - HCA deployment is dependant upon Crown Court listing	TU Head	H/H	a) Liaison with listing officers b) Control of lawyer rotas	a) More efficient listing would lead to greater effectivenessb) Good degree of effectiveness	Amber	Recruit more lawyers and increase the number of HCAs
2	Value for Money - HCA deployment is dependant upon Crown Court listing	Local Implementation Team	M/H	Communication with staff	Too early to measure	Amber	Continued communication and liaison with staff and using Area Champions and Super Users to promote the system
3	Narrowing the Justice Gap - Translating the measure in the Action Plan for Narrowing the Justice Gap into increasing the number of cases brought to justice in accordance with the target	CCP/CJUHead	M/H	Implementation and monitoring of the Inter-agency Action Plan and The CPS Action Plan	Too early to measure	Amber	Regular quarterly inter-agency meetings, Continued case file monitoring, ensuring staff are kept informed to meet the target
4	Improving Public Confidence - Failure to meet the target for letters sent to victims	CJU Team Leader	M/M	Designated member of staff to monitor issuing of letters	Effective	AmberOther staff taking on this responsibility where possible	Recruit and train more lawyers and train new CJU Business Manager to take on the responsibility of Victim & Witness Co-ordinator
5	Community Engagement - Lack of Area Business Manager (ABM) to fulfill community engagement commitments	CCP	H/H	Other staff taking on this responsibility where possible	Without an ABM there are insufficient resources to cover this effectivelys	Amber	Appointment of an Area Business Manager

Annex B

SECTION 3: AREA CONTRIBUTION TO ACHIEVEMENT OF PSA TARGETS

These graphs can be viewed in the PDF version of this document