Inspectorate praises CPS’ work in supporting witnesses and victims of crime 

In a new report out today, Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) praises the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) handling of correspondence from police witness care units (WCUs).

WCUs maintain contact with victims of crimes and witnesses, keeping them informed of progress in their case and supporting their appearance in court. To ensure that victims and witnesses are supported effectively, the CPS must work effectively with the police witness care units.

HMCPSI found that CPS Areas across the UK mostly handled witness care correspondence efficiently and effectively.

The report found CPS staff were effective in dealing with correspondence from WCU’s across England and Wales. In a sample of 871 pieces of correspondence examined by HMCPSI, they found that over half (59.2%) of correspondence was checked within 24 hours, two-thirds (68.7%) were checked within 48 hours and four out of five (80.4%) were checked within five days. HMCPSI inspectors also found that CPS staff dealt with all of the issues raised within the correspondence in 87.5% (762) of the sample.

The report identifies some points for improvement. The report found that there is no national instruction or guidance for CPS staff specifically on handling witness care correspondence. Although HMCPSI saw no evidence of this impacting on performance, this has led to inconsistencies in task allocation and the use of resources. HMCPSI also noted that some CPS Areas were marginally slower than others due to different IT systems being used by police WCUs in those areas.

Commenting on the report, Chief Inspector of HMCPSI, Kevin McGinty CBE said:

“The work that the police and CPS do in supporting victims and witnesses is vital to the legitimacy of the UK’s justice system. Our findings show that in the majority of cases the CPS worked effectively with the police witness care units to ensure that victim and witness issues were dealt with and resolved.

The findings of this report highlight that the CPS’s handling of police witness correspondence was good. However, there were a small number of cases where it was unclear if the issue raised had been dealt with. The revised instructions that we suggest are needed should go some way to make what is good service even better.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• HMCPSI inspects prosecution services, providing evidence to make the prosecution process better and more accountable. We have a statutory duty to inspect the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.
• HMCPSI examined a total of 430 contested cases, all from trials listed in a magistrates’ court between November 2019 and the end of February 2020 to avoid reviewing cases affected by the Covid pandemic. The finalised cases included a mix of successful and unsuccessful outcomes.
• Owing to the ongoing Covid epidemic, the inspection team conducted the fieldwork remotely.
• The full inspection report can be found here The CPS’s handling of police witness care correspondence (402 kB)