Contrast
Home
Menu

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 out-of-hours service, works through the night, at weekends and bank holidays, to provide charging advice to the police on cases where the suspect cannot be released on bail.

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 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 who take 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) Suzanne Llewellyn, 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. Ceri Moggridge is the Area Business Manager and has responsibility for the business and operational delivery functions.

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.