Text transcript of the video of the letter from the Director to the Attorney General
I’m delighted to introduce the Crown Prosecution Service Annual Report and Resource Accounts for 2007/08.
The past 12 months have been about both continuity and improvement; building on our work to become an accountable public body and striving towards the goal of consistently delivering an excellent service - particularly for the victims and witnesses of crime, all within the context of fair trials.
This year has seen us make real progress in our efforts to engage with you, the public. We recognise that society is changing, and we’ll continue to build our level of consultation on key matters of policy - such as prosecuting bad driving and crimes against the older person – in recognition of our role as a public prosecution service.
We’ll continue to learn the lessons that arise from public scrutiny of our work, through bodies such as our hate crime scrutiny panels. And we we’ll also engage with all communities and continue to explain our work through our website, through local events and through the national and local media.
Of course our hope is that you never become a victim of crime yourself. But if you do, be assured that we take our responsibilities to victims and witnesses extremely seriously. We’ve worked hard during the past year to improve our communication with victims and to provide a better standard of care for both victims and witnesses, working through dedicated witness care units that are jointly staffed with the police.
The role of the CPS has expanded significantly over the past three years and we’re now responsible for taking decisions about criminal charges in the vast majority of cases. Handing this responsibility to us has meant that the number of guilty pleas has increased, while the number of cases that fall down along the way has decreased.
The CPS now has nearly 1000 Crown Advocates regularly appearing in the Crown Court to argue our cases, and more than 400 Associate Prosecutors appearing in the magistrates’ courts. This allows our lawyers to develop deeper knowledge of their cases. It allows us to offer a better service to the public.
Like many organisations, the CPS will need to keep a close eye on its spending over the next few years. But this won’t diminish the level of service that we deliver across England and Wales. Through working more closely with our partners, and becoming more efficient day-to-day, I’m confident that the CPS will continue to improve in the months and years ahead.
Ken Macdonald QC
Director of Public Prosecutions
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