Equality: Crown Prosecution Service praised but needs to improve representation of ethnic minorities at senior levels

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) continues to increase the numbers of senior female employees and ethnic minority legal trainees, but needs to work on the representation of those trainees and disabled staff – as well as flexible working – at senior levels, a report has found.


The annual Equalities in Employment report said that overall the CPS ‘continues to make considerable progress in realising equalities in employment’. It found a ‘sustained increase’ in the number of female CPS employees at senior Civil Service level, rising from 27% to 33% in the year to April 2005.


There was also an increase in the proportion of female Chief Crown Prosecutors – there are now 13 out of 49. Representation of women in the CPS in general stood at 67% as at April 2005.


The number of ethnic minority legal trainees continued to rise, from 40.5% to 46.4%. There was also a rise in the number of ethnic minority starters at the lawyer entry grades. In all, ethnic minority employees made up 14.8% of all CPS employees, exceeding the civil service average.


There was a slight increase in the number of staff with a disability, who make up 4.5% of CPS staff. The Civil Service benchmark is 3.5%, although the report said that given the broader definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the CPS will strive to ensure the overall percentage of disabled employees in the workforce rises to 15.4%.


Given the under-representation of ethnic minority and disabled staff at senior levels, the report said ‘more sustained positive action initiatives will be required to achieve a more diverse and representative workforce’.


The report did identify some anomalies about success rates in gaining interviews and jobs, and recommended more practical recruitment and selection training for staff. It also said increased involvement of male, ethnic minority and disabled employees on interview panels ‘is likely to be the most effective way of improving the success rates of these staff groups’.


It praised the CPS’s approach to flexible working, saying it remains ahead of other government departments. However, the uptake remains ‘considerably lower’ at senior levels.


‘The service will explore ways of developing systems and shaping a culture which is conducive to a much wider implementation of alternative working opportunities for all occupational groups across the organisation,’ the report added.


Angela O’Connor, the CPS’s director of human resources, said: ‘The CPS aims to be representative of the diversity of the public it serves and we continue to make good progress. However, the HR team will be working with the equality and diversity unit to tackle under-representation, especially to widen the workforce in senior positions, and monitor our recruitment and retention policies.’