CPS celebrates more convictions at trial as missed performance targets mar report

PROSECUTIONS: government pledge of 300 more lawyers met, but advocacy falls short

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) met only four of its ten performance targets in 2002/2003, its annual report has shown, although it achieved more convictions at trial.

The CPS beat the targets for sending committal papers to the defence and delivering briefs to counsel within time-limits, and reducing the percentage of non-jury acquittals in the Crown Court.

Among those not met was the proportion of relevant cases where the prosecution complied with duties of primary and secondary disclosure - the targets were 86% and 83% respectively, and the CPS achieved 81% and 65%.

It also failed to hit the 7% target for the proportion of advocates whose performance is significantly above normal requirements, managing 5.9%.

In the last year, the CPS has revised its national standards of advocacy and piloted an advocacy masterclass in partnership with Nottingham Law School.

However, in each of the missed targets, the CPS's performance improved on the year before.

In total, the CPS dealt with 1.44 million cases sent by the police, 77,000 more than in 2001/2002.

There were convictions in 70% of contested magistrates' court cases.

In the Crown Court, where there were 79,796 cases, 73.5% of cases saw guilty pleas, 16.4% convictions after trial (up from 15.5%) and 10.1% acquittals (down from 11.2%).

The CPS met the government's manifesto commitment of recruiting 300 more lawyers, and now employs 2,267 lawyers - of whom 435 have higher rights of audience - and 4,711 caseworkers and administrators.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir David Calvert-Smith QC, who leaves the post this autumn, said the report was one of achievement and of the CPS's contribution to the criminal justice system.

Meanwhile, the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) annual report revealed that in 2002/2003, it prosecuted 14 trials, in which 17 defendants were convicted and eight acquitted - 12 of those convicted pleaded guilty.

The SFO's success rate was slightly below its 15-year record of 71% convictions.

The SFO has 71 outstanding cases - 39 still under investigation and 32 where legal proceedings have started.

Among those coming to trial is one involving five people charged with conspiring, through the use of three solicitors' firms, to defraud investors of their funds by the dishonest use of banking documents.

The SFO's budget is set to increase dramatically from a planned 23.8 million in 2003/2004 to 33.1 million in 2004/2005 and 37 million the year after.

Director Robert Wardle said one of the challenges he faced over the next year is planning for the increased staff, caseload and premises that will result.