DPP Reports on CPS Progress and Reform in past year

13/07/2005

The CPS has continued to make progress towards the vision of it becoming a world class prosecuting authority, Ken Macdonald QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, has said in his Annual Report to the Attorney General.

Mr Macdonald said:

"I am proud of our achievements during 2004-05 and thank of all of my staff for their hard work, commitment and professionalism. We have earned the respect and confidence of our partners within the Criminal Justice System and beyond.

"I am sure we will build on this success over the coming year and continue to work to become a world class prosecuting service. Above all, this will be a prosecution service that earns and deserves the confidence, respect and trust of the communities it serves. I want communities everywhere and members of those communities, to see us as their prosecution service acting on their behalf with independence, integrity, firmness, clarity and vigour."

Mr Macdonald highlighted CPS reforms and achievements during the year where CPS and police colleagues are working together as a prosecution team to bring the strongest possible cases before the courts, to improve the services for victims and witnesses and to recover the proceeds of crime. These include:

• The continued implementation of the charging programme, where CPS prosecutors select the charge in all but the most minor cases. This is now happening on a statutory basis in 15 of the 42 areas and accounts for 60 per cent of all CPS prosecutions, with remaining Areas moving to statutory arrangements by March 2007.
• The introduction of CPS Direct, an out-of-hours telephone service, providing charging advice to the 15 areas in the statutory scheme, and enabling the CPS to provide a 24/7 prosecution service.
• The delivery of the No Witness No Justice initiative which is improving services, information and support to victims and witnesses of crime. More than 80 witness care units are now open across England and Wales , with at least one in each area.

Other key developments during the year include a review of how serious, sensitive and complex cases are handled with the creation of three new central casework divisions to deal with serious, sensitive and complex cases - Organised Crime Division, Counter-Terrorism Division and Special Crime Division - which will be in place by October 2005. This will enable the CPS to provide the best possible prosecution services to the new Serious and Organised Crime Agency and across the full range of serious casework.

The Service has also developed a strategy for extending the advocacy role of CPS prosecutors and Designated Caseworkers to routinely conduct the CPS' own cases at court. Two pilots have been running in Hertfordshire and Hampshire, where CPS prosecutors regularly prosecute cases in the Crown Court.

During the year the CPS prosecuted over 1.25 million cases, with over 943,000 defendants convicted in the magistrates' court and almost 72,000 convicted in the Crown Court. The CPS advised the police or took a pre-charge decision, in 441,194 cases, an increase of 126 per cent (on the previous year). Convictions rose from 78.6 per cent in 2003-04 to 80.4 per cent in 2004-05.

Notes to Editors

1. The Annual Report covers the period April 2004 to March 2005.
2. The Annual Report is available online in the Publications section of the CPS website.
3. For more information please contact CPS Press Office on 020 7710 6091.