CPS decision process ‘takes too long’

Greater Manchester’s Crown Prosecution Service is one of the slowest in the country for deciding whether a case should go ahead or not.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed on average it takes the local CPS 10.6 days from being handed a file by the police to a case being taken forward or dropped.

Tory MP Philip Davies, who collected the information, said the delay in deciding whether to take the case on or not could be the difference between more crimes being committed or not.

Nationally across the 42 CPS areas it took 8.3 days. Northamptonshire was the worst force taking 20.2 days to make a decision and Cumbria was the quickest taking just 3.8 days on average.

Only four other areas took longer than Greater Manchester.

Mr Davies said: “You cannot just keep people in custody and so many are bailed. In the time waiting for a decision by the CPS who knows how many more crimes are committed. The decision whether or not to prosecute has to be the right one, but at the same time taken quickly.

“There is a huge discrepancy here, if Cumbria can make decisions in less than four days why is it taking some forces five times as long. I understand there will be some very complex cases needing further evidence but these are average figures.“

Mr Davies has called for the Government to address the discrepancies.

Solicitor General Vera Baird said: “There is no separate guidance on time, but the principle is to charge as soon as possible, and there are obviously controls over the situation when people are remanded in custody.

“However, people are not automatically on bail pending charge; some are remanded in custody. Then a charge becomes urgent, and the CPS respond accordingly. There have been vast improvements through statutory charging, and its efficacy has been praised in four recent reports.”

A CPS spokesman added: “We agree that in some locations officers wait too long for an appointment to see a prosecutor and we are working to provide a swift, responsive service for simpler cases on a 24-7 basis.”