More criminals being convicted - stats show (From Warrington Guardian)

More criminals being convicted - stats show

10:00am Friday 15th February 2013 in News

MORE criminals are being convicted after performance was improved by prosecutors in Cheshire.

The latest inspection of the Crown Prosecution Service Cheshire and Merseyside revealed the amount of defendants pleading guilty or convicted after trial had irsen to 84.8 per cent, compared to 82.9 per cent in 2010/2011.

It was also above the CPS national average of 81.1 per cent.

In 2010, a critical inspection report highlighted numerous issues including poor decision making by officials and the standard of casework.

CPS has since merged into a single unit for the area and HM Chief Inspector, Michael Fuller QPM, said issues were being addressed as a result.

He said: ““I am pleased that, even throughout this period of significant change, the CPS has been able to focus on the issues identified in our previous inspection.

“The change in management structure, together with the combining of the two former areas into one, has also resulted in good progress in addressing the concerns we had.

“All staff are to be congratulated on the progress to date, particularly when taking into consideration the extent and speed of change.”

Areas that need improvement were also raised.

They include securing more convictions at Magistrates Court, overcoming difficulties with the new electronic system and addressing concerns of staff.