HC Deb 23 May 1994 vol 244 cc15-6
34. Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Solicitor-General

The main activity of the Crown Prosecution Service is the efficient and effective prosecution of criminal cases.

Mr. Duncan Smith

Is my hon. and learned Friend satisfied that assaults on members of the police force are being satisfactorily dealt with by various authorities? Is not it time to review all aspects of charging in the light of recent cases?

The Solicitor-General

My hon. Friend's advice is well given. We have set up a working group, which will be staffed by both police and senior CPS lawyers, to ensure that there is greater consistency of charges in assault cases. If my hon. Friend were to spend 15 minutes behind the desk of the custody suite at his local police station, he would see the circumstances in which the custody officer has to decide what is the appropriate charge in any given case. If, a few weeks later, he were to go to his local branch office of the CPS and see the circumstances in which the same case were reviewed by a lawyer, who will have far more information available to him, he would recognise that it is not surprising that charges sometimes have to be altered. That is not a criticism of either the police or the lawyers who deal with a particular case.