Gang imprisoned for stealing more than £1m of housing benefits from London councils

Seven benefit assessors have been sentenced to prison for a total of 17 years for their roles in housing benefit fraud which saw more than £1m stolen from three councils in London.

CPS strengthens guidance on child abusers caught in undercover stings

Paedophiles who think they are grooming a child for sex, but are actually communicating with an adult, will now face tougher charges.

How the CPS prosecuted Hatton Garden alarm specialist 'Basil'

Read how Michael Seed, 58, was convicted for his part in the heist, which is believed to be one of the largest burglaries in English legal history.

Consultation on new guidance for prosecutors on mental health conditions and disorders

A consultation on updated guidance for prosecutors on dealing with defendants with mental health issues to reflect growing understanding of different conditions, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced today.

Man jailed for possession of more than two million indecent images and hoard of firearms

A pensioner found with two million indecent images of children and a stash of illegal firearms hidden in an underground bunker has been sentenced to almost 13 years in prison.

Your local CPS

The CPS operates across England and Wales, with 14 regional teams prosecuting cases locally.

Each of these 14 CPS Areas is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor, and works closely with local police forces and other criminal justice partners.

Find out who’s who in your area, and read more about local cases.

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Yorkshire and Humberside

The Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. The CPS is independent, and we make our decisions independently of the police and government.

Our duty is to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence, and to bring offenders to justice wherever possible.

The CPS:

decides which cases should be prosecuted;
determines the appropriate charges in more serious or complex cases, and advises the police during the early stages of investigations;
prepares cases and presents them at court; and
provides information, assistance and support to victims and prosecution witnesses.

Prosecutors must be fair, objective and independent. When deciding whether to prosecute a criminal case, our lawyers must follow the Code for Crown Prosecutors. This means that to charge someone with a criminal offence, prosecutors must be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and that prosecuting is in the public interest.

Crime info

We prosecute people for hundreds of different types of crime every year. This section gives an introduction to some of the categories of offending that we are asked about most often.

Victims & witnesses

Being a victim or a witness to a crime is not easy, but with your help, we work hard to bring offenders to justice. Throughout the justice process we will support you and treat you with dignity.

From reporting the crime to passing sentence we explain what happens, the role of the CPS and what you can expect from us.

Support for victims & witnesses

Prosecution guidance

This guidance assists our prosecutors when they are making decisions about cases. It is regularly updated to reflect changes in law and practice.

View all prosecution guidance

Gang imprisoned for stealing more than £1m of housing benefits from London councils

CPS strengthens guidance on child abusers caught in undercover stings

How the CPS prosecuted Hatton Garden alarm specialist 'Basil'

Consultation on new guidance for prosecutors on mental health conditions and disorders

Man jailed for possession of more than two million indecent images and hoard of firearms

Your local CPS

The Crown Prosecution Service

Crime info

Victims & witnesses

Prosecution guidance

CPS press release: Three jailed for student visa immigration scam worth £650k

Gang members convicted over shooting of mother and child

Abusive wife convicted of murdering husband

Teenager jailed for rape at Creamfields music festival

Men who ran film file-sharing website sentenced