About CPS

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

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

CPS Direct is the out-of-hours service for the CPS.

We work closely with the police, although we are independent of them, providing them with advice on whether they can charge a suspect who is in custody. We do this by reviewing evidence gathered by police and deciding whether the suspect should be prosecuted, using the test set out in our Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Our duty is to prosecute the right people for the right offences. Here at CPS Direct we deal specifically with cases where the suspect cannot be released on bail because they pose a risk to the public.

Once a decision has been made on a case by a CPS Direct prosecutor it is passed on to one of our 14 geographical CPS Areas which takes local responsibility of the progression of the case through the courts.

Our Structure

We have over 250 colleagues based across England and Wales working through the night, at weekends and bank holidays to respond to cases referred to us by the police.

Our team is made up of experienced prosecutors and operational delivery colleagues and who are committed to the delivery of justice. We aim to act professionally and strive for excellence, continually looking to improve our service and the way we work.

CPS Direct is headed by Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) Tracy Easton, whose responsibilities include carrying out prosecutions; setting and maintaining professional and ethical standards; contributing to national policy and strategy and ensuring effective employee relations.

The CCP is supported by a team of senior managers with expertise in legal and business management matters. On the legal side, support is provided by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, Anton Allera. Karen Sawitzki is the Area Business Manager and has responsibility for the business and operational delivery functions.

Tracy Easton, Chief Crown Prosecutor

Tracy joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in September 1986, initially working in admin and then as a Law Clerk, based at the Old Bailey. She was one of the first Legal Trainees in the CPS and after being called to the bar in November 1992, she worked as a Crown Prosecutor and Senior Crown Prosecutor in courts across London and Bristol.

In 1995 Tracy became a Unit Head within the Criminal Justice Unit and then the Bristol Trials Unit at CPS Avon and Somerset, becoming one of the first employed Barristers to become a Higher Court Advocate in 2001. In 2004 she became the Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, before moving to Surrey as the temporary Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) in January 2007. In September 2007 she was appointed as the CCP for CPS Devon and Cornwall and became the Deputy CCP for CPS South West in 2011.

During a secondment to Headquarters, Tracy developed and implemented two national training programmes, Transforming Summary Justice and Better Case Management, for all CPS staff before returning to her native North East as Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2017.

In January 2023 Tracy joined CPS Direct as Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor on secondment, leading a project to improve efficiency whilst also focusing on quality of our charging decisions. Tracy then moved to CPS Wessex on secondment in November 2023 as Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor to support the Area during a period of change within the executive team.

Tracy returned to CPS Direct as Chief Crown Prosecutor in August 2024. She is a qualified coach and has the national lead on Arson, ASB and Dangerous Dogs. Tracy continues to lead on legal trainee and lawyer recruitment and is part of the CPS Advocacy Strategy Group.

Karen Sawitzki, Area Business Manager

Karen returned to CPS Direct as Area Business Manager (ABM) in November 2024, having held this role for five years, prior to a two-year secondment to CPS South East as the Area Business Manager.

Karen has worked in the Criminal Justice System for nearly 40 years.

Karen became the ABM for CPS Wiltshire in 2003, for Thames Valley in 2005, and the Senior ABM for the Thames and Chiltern Group in 2007. In September 2009 she was seconded to the Attorney General's Office as a Senior Policy Advisor. In January 2010 Karen was seconded to CPS HQ as part of the Capability Review Implementation Programme team. In August 2010 she returned to CPS Thames and Chiltern in the position of ABM.

In September 2014 Karen became the ABM for CPS West Midlands before joining CPS Direct in June 2017, followed by her secondment to CPS South East between October 2022 and November 2024.

Contact information for CPS Direct VRR

CPS Direct Victim Liaison Unit
Phone number: 01904 545605
Email: [email protected]

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:

• Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID), including CPS Proceeds of Crime (CPSPOC)
• Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division