9:55am Tuesday 16th March 2010
By Tristan Kirk
THE head of the Crown Prosecution Service has promised improvements after a damning report exposed falling conviction rates and failing systems.
Alison Saunders, who took over as chief crown prosecutor for CPS London in December, said the problems highlighted by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are nothing she did not know before.
She said: “It is comforting to find the inspector's report has not said anything we were not already aware of.
“It is now about getting the right people in the right places, and getting the structure right, to make sure you do not have cases clogging up the system.”
Inspections of CPS operations across London boroughs have exposed serious failings, with cases being poorly prepared, key information missed, and victims and witnesses not being supported properly through prosecutions.
Ms Saunders said a new staffing structure will be in place across the capital by mid-April, with more people being moved out of the central offices and out to courts to help with the backlog of casework.
She said: “Some things are already in place, and a lot of the changes are there or there abouts.
“Certainly by the time the inspectors comes next time, you will be able to see improvements and results.”
The inspector's report called for “urgent” improvement, and slammed the service for falling conviction rates well below the national average and failure to manage cases properly.
Harrow's CPS service, which has suffered recently from staff shortages, was rated poor in the inspection, and “ineffective and inefficient” case management was said to be part to blame for the low conviction rate.
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