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The CPS Areas, CPS Direct, CPS Central Casework Divisions and CPS Proceeds of Crime

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.

CPS Direct, our 'virtual' 15th Area, provides charging decisions on priority cases 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our Central Casework Divisions deal with some of the most complex cases we prosecute, including international justice and organised crime; special crime; terrorism and serious and complex fraud.

In addition, CPS Proceeds of Crime is a dedicated division responsible for all restraint, enforcement and serious confiscation work.

CPS Direct is a ‘virtual’ 15th Area. It is also headed by a CCP and provides charging decisions on priority cases. Much of CPSD’s work is out of hours, so that we can provide an emergency response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our dedicated network of over 160 prosecutors is based throughout England and Wales.

To receive a charging decision, police officers and other investigators either call a single national number and are connected to the next available Duty Prosecutor, or they submit and receive charging decisions digitally.

CPS Direct is supported by a Business Centre which houses a team of specialists in the fields of performance, finance, human resources and communications. They provide advice and guidance to all members of staff within the Area.

We are committed to placing victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice system, ensuring that we deal with them professionally and fairly.

Should you have any comments on any aspect of our work then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our Structure

Chief Crown Prosecutor Suzanne Llewellyn has overall responsibility for CPS Direct, and reports to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Chief Crown Prosecutor is supported by the Senior Management Team, including an Area Business Manager who oversees the business management and administrative functions of CPS Direct; and Unit Heads who manage the day to day legal delivery.

Our Duty Prosecutors work in shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide police forces and other investigators across England and Wales with quick access to charging decisions from the CPS. They work from local CPS offices alongside teams of Prosecutors based in their own homes who primarily work at evenings, night-time and weekends.

Administrative and business support come from a Central Support Team based at CPS headquarters in York.

Suzanne Llewellyn, Chief Crown Prosecutor

Suzanne Llewellyn was appointed as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct in August 2023; this role will link with Suzanne’s responsibility for Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex from September 2023.

Suzanne started her career with CPS in the West Midlands, as a legal trainee in 1991. Suzanne’s initial career saw her prosecuting the magistrates' courts at West Midlands before becoming a Crown Advocate, gaining Higher Court Rights to practice within the Crown Courts.

In leadership roles, Suzanne has had the privilege of leading Magistrates' Court, Crown Court, Complex Casework Unit and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Teams in the West Midlands Region encompassing the West Midlands, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Warwickshire, and the work of the national British Transport Police, CPS Wessex, incorporating the Forces of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Dorset and Wiltshire and CPS East Midlands, incorporating the Forces of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

In the West Midlands, working with CJS partners, Suzanne led significant organisational change programs, including Transforming Criminal Justice and Better Case Management and the development of an Organised Crime and Serious Violence Unit to tackle homicide, organised crime, human trafficking, criminal use of firearms, urban street gangs and 'county lines' drug trafficking. Suzanne also worked closely with the British Transport Police to achieve service improvements, by bringing their national case work within the governance of one CPS Area.

Suzanne has a deeply rooted passion for improving services in respect of violence against women and girls and has undertaken much work across all of her Areas to ensure that victims are placed at the heart of the Criminal Justice System.

In CPS Wessex, Suzanne led the introduction of the new Crown Court Operating Model and worked closely with the Military Police to improve partnership working between the CPS and the Military.

During Suzanne’s career she has worked with local schools, colleges, and universities to ensure the legal profession is seen as an inclusive, diverse, attainable career of choice for all. In 2020 Suzanne was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The University of Wolverhampton in 2020 in recognition of this.

Suzanne is delighted to bring her extensive experience and knowledge in all aspects of the Criminal Justice System to hold the joint portfolio for CPS Direct and CPS Wessex.

Ceri Moggridge - Area Business Manager

Ceri Moggridge, ABMCeri first joined the CPS as the Area Business Manager (ABM) for the South East in April 2020, she then moved to CPS Direct in October 2022; with overall responsibility for the Operational Delivery and Business Operations.

Ceri’s career in the Civil Service began in 2015 when she joined as a Fast Track Apprentice in Business and Business Administration. She initially worked in projects and recruitment within Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) based in Cardiff. She then moved to the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) cross-government team, supporting the 250,000 civil servants within the profession. This national team focused on supporting capability building, qualifications, apprenticeships, community building and talent management of the largest profession in government. In 2018, she was promoted to Head of Business Management and Private Secretary, where she led on a wide variety of elements such as business planning, private office, finance, secretariat and governance.

Following completion of her apprenticeship, she elected to study first a Postgraduate in Advanced Leadership and latterly a Masters in Strategic Leadership in Management and is now a proud to be a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) remaining very committed to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for both herself and her teams. She is now the National Apprenticeship Champion for the CPS.

Victims' Right to Review

The Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme was launched on the 5 June 2013. The VRR Scheme gives victims the right to request a review of a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision not to prosecute or to terminate criminal proceedings.

We are committed to dealing with Victims and Witnesses with respect. We understand being a victim and or witness of crime can be difficult and are sensitive to how vulnerable some may feel due to their experiences.

We will ensure that they are dealt with in a professional and courteous manner. We will listen to their needs and support them through the process so that they can give their best evidence at court.

This CPS Area is committed to ensuring that we are renowned for our professionalism, and that we are delivering justice to all members of our communities.

We want communities to continue to have confidence in their local justice system, to believe their interests are fairly represented and justice is seen to be done.

Contact information for CPS Direct VRR

CPS Direct Victim Liaison Unit
Phone number: 01904 545605
Email: cpsdirect.vrrandcomplaints@cps.gov.uk

Our Central Casework Divisions deal with some of the most complex cases we prosecute. They work closely with specialist investigators from a range of organisations, including the National Crime Agency, HM Revenue & Customs and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, as well as police forces across England and Wales.

The specialist divisions, each headed by a Head of Division (equivalent to a Chief Crown Prosecutor), are:

Contacting the CPS

To contact your local CPS Area or CPS Direct by phone, email or post, please find the details by selecting the relevant Area on this page. To contact the CPS generally, give feedback or make a complaint, please see our Contact page. To report a problem with this website (only), please email the CPS Webmaster.