Inspectors praise CPS improved response to racist crime

19/05/2004

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC, has welcomed a report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate which finds that the CPS has made real progress in the past two years in its handling of cases arising from racist incidents.

He said:

"Prosecuting racist crime effectively and fairly has been one of our main priorities in recent years and this report is a real testament to the work that has been going on all across the CPS to strengthen our response to these particularly despicable offences.

"We are very pleased that the Inspectorate has highlighted improvements in the quality of prosecutors' handling of racially aggravated cases and has particularly praised the training programme, the clear and detailed policy guidance given to prosecutors and the substantial progress that has been made in establishing and developing links with Black and minority ethnic communities. The fact that the inspectors were able to see increased confidence in the CPS as a result is something that is particularly heartening.

"However, we are determined not to lose the momentum that we have created in this area and we will address those aspects where the inspectorate has identified the need to improve further. Through provisions in the Criminal Justice Act, CPS lawyers are now taking over responsibility for initial charging and becoming involved in cases at an earlier stage. We believe that this new way of working will help eliminate inappropriate charging of Black and minority ethnic defendants and will help ensure that the right charges are brought against offenders in racist incident cases.

"We are also taking the lead in No Witness No Justice, a major nationwide project to introduce dedicated witness care units across England and Wales to provide better support and help to victims and witnesses. In many racially aggravated cases witnesses feel particularly vulnerable and find it very difficult to give evidence in court. No Witness No Justice will address their individual needs to help resolve difficulties and anxieties from the start. We believe it will have a positive impact on the confidence and welfare of victims and witnesses in racist cases."

The HMCPSI report is a follow-up report to the Thematic Review of Casework Having a Minority Ethnic Dimension which was published in May 2002.

Since May 2002 the CPS has:

• delivered a new training course on racially and religiously aggravated crime to prosecutors which specifically addresses many of the issues raised in the Thematic Review report in 2002. The overall aim of the course is to promote consistency and good practice. It provides training on the policy, legal and evidential issues arising from offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and on the religiously aggravated offences introduced in December 2001. The inspectorate refers to it as an 'impressive training initiative'.
• published its Racist and Religious Crime Policy (in July 2003). 1 20 groups and individuals who represent black and minority ethnic communities, faith communities and criminal justice partners were consulted as part of the policy development. The statement sets out the way in which the CPS deals with cases of racist and religious crime, explains the offences and how the law works, how decisions about prosecutions are made and how these cases are monitored by the CPS. It gives a commitment to prosecute racist and religious crime fairly, firmly and robustly. CPS Areas are communicating the policy to local communities.
• launched its Race Equality Scheme (in May 2002) which was produced with involvement from representatives of minority ethnic communities and staff. It sets out the CPS Action Plan for addressing race equality over the next 3 years. It was quoted as an example of good practice in the public sector by the Commission for Race Equality.
• Published Race for Justice, the report on the Diversity Monitoring Project . Commissioned by the CPS and carried out independently by Gus John Partnership, the project examined almost 13,000 Crown Prosecution Service files to establish if race or gender discrimination occurs in the prosecution process. The CRE welcomed the review and confirmed that the CPS was the first public authority to have invited such an in-depth third party scrutiny of its processes.

Notes to Editors

1. For further information about the HMCPSI report please contact Anisha Visram, 020 7210 1187, Anisha.Visram@cps.gsi.gov.uk.
2. Media enquiries about CPS please contact the CPS Press Office, 020 7710 6091.