Crown Prosecution Service gains cash boost

Crime: extra cash will bring lawyers and police together

The government has boosted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with a cash injection of 15.8 million - 4.5 million of which comes from the Home Office's police budget.The move follows the opening of the first criminal justice unit (CJU) in Bristol, which will bring police and CPS under one roof.

The scheme will be rolled out across the UK.

The CPS is receiving a further 5 million from the Treasury for CJU start-up costs.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith QC, said the money remedied the 'historic underfunding' of the CPS, adding that he hoped the collaboration would allow CPS lawyers to do more advocacy in the Crown Court.

'The trials unit will see police detectives and senior prosecution lawyers working more closely together on serious casework such as rape, armed robbery and murder.

CPS lawyers will be on hand at the very beginning of police inquiries to advise on legal aspects of investigations,' said Mr Calvert-Smith.

Criminal lawyers have expressed concern that the two could develop a canteen culture and return to the 'bad old' pre-CPS days of police investigating and prosecuting cases.The 15.8 million pay-out is in addition to the CPS's initial 350.5 million budget.

A million will go towards a new IT system for the CPS, which will bring it into line with the police IT system.

It will spend 5 million on 'performance improvement' and the rest will be allocated to the 42 CPS areas.

It is also understood that some funds will go towards ironing out the disparity in pay between criminal prosecution and defence counsel.

Anne Mizzi