The basic principle is that it is for the prosecution, not the court, to decide whether a prosecution should be commenced and, if commenced, whether it should continue.
The prosecutor has an important responsibility to ensure fairness both to the defendant and the victim regarding the acceptability of pleas and assistance to the court at sentence.
A blueprint for prosecuting rape and serious sexual offences has taken a significant step forward today - as new data reveals charge rates for rape have increased to 72.8%.
The conservation of wildlife is an area in which the police play an investigative and enforcement role and where the CPS are called upon to prosecute in accordance with the provisions of the Code for Crown Prosecutors. See also Relations with Other Prosecutions Agencies, elsewhere in the legal guidance.
