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The Role of The Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service is the government department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.

As the principal prosecuting authority in England and Wales, we are responsible for:

  • advising the police on cases for possible prosecution
  • reviewing cases submitted by the police
  • determining any charges in more serious or complex cases
  • preparing cases for court
  • presenting cases at court

Find out more about the role of the Crown Prosecution Service

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Home » News Centre » Press Releases » CPS wins at Race Equality Awards

CPS wins at Race Equality Awards

25/05/2005

The Crown Prosecution Service has been voted 'Best Employer In-house Legal Departments and Public Sector' at the inaugural Solicitors Race Equality Awards, by the Law Society and the Commission for Racial Equality.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC said:

"I am delighted the distinguished panel of judges has recognised our efforts as the largest legal employer in England and Wales. Crime affects people from all walks of life and from all communities and it is important that our staff are representative of the diverse communities we serve. We are seeing more women and Black and Minority Ethnic staff in senior positions, as CPS prosecutors and on our legal trainee schemes. But there is certainly no room for complacency and we are determined to make further progress."

The awards, presented on 24 May, are for the achievements of eight law firms and legal departments in promoting equality and diversity. Judges included Janet Paraskeva, Chief Executive, The Law Society of England & Wales, Trevor Phillips, Chairman, Commission for Racial Equality, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty and journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. The winners collected trophies from the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer and BBC Watchdog presenter Nicky Campbell.

CPS successes include:

  • One of the most ethnically diverse workforces across Whitehall, with just over 14% of staff coming from BME backgrounds, exceeding the civil service average of 8% and the Labour Force Survey benchmark of 9.4%.
  • Over the last two years, the service has appointed six BME staff at Chief Crown Prosecutor level, five of whom are women. In the year from April 2003 to 2004, the number of BME Crown Prosecutors at lawyer entrant grade has increased from 24.9% to 30%. The number of BME legal trainees increased from 25% to 40.5% in the same period.
  • The Law Scholarship Scheme. All CPS staff, no matter what their current job, can get funding for course fees to study law, with a career path from administrator to Crown Prosecutor. More than 300 people are currently in the scheme, of which 40% are from a Black or Minority Ethnic community and 70% are female.
  • The CPS won a prestigious RaceActionNet award in October 2004 for organisational excellence on equality and diversity. The award recognised the ways in which the CPS opened up its policy making to diverse communities. Judges said that in opening up access to decision making, the CPS promoted a policy on racist and religious crime that is accessible in style, language and format.
  • The National Audit Office highly praised the CPS for its equality and diversity work in December 2004. In the NAO's first ever report on diversity, Delivering Public Services to a Diverse Society, it held a major survey of 131 national public sector bodies, but only chose four - including the CPS - as an example of good practice.
  1. For further information contact CPS Press Office on 020 7710 6088. The Law Society Press Office is on 020 7316 5527.
  2. The CPS Annual Equalities in Employment Report 2003-2004 is available on this website.