§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Solicitor-General (1) what steps have been taken by each CPS authority to progress the Glidewell recommendations for reorganizing654W its work into functional units collocated with police units; and where and when this collocation has been achieved; [60223]
(2) if she will make a statement on variations in the pace of progress between CPS areas noted by HMCPSI. [60211]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralIt has been assumed that the question regarding the pace of progress refers to the establishment of criminal justice units and trial units.
All chief crown prosecutors and chief constables have submitted joint plans detailing their strategy to implement the Glidewell recommendations. These plans were reviewed by a joint CPS/police working group to ensure that they followed the agreed model for joint administration. The model aims to reduce duplication and delay; focus freed up resources towards the more serious casework; and improve the service to victims and witnesses. CPS areas and their police partners regularly review their plans, actively seeking opportunities to maximise use of the combined police/CPS buildings and provide regular updates to the centre as and when their plans have progressed.
All CPS areas not yet collocated have reorganised their front line operations into discrete units to deal separately with Crown court and magistrates court work, in order to deliver at least some of the benefits envisaged by Glidewell.
As at 31 March 2002, there were 42 collocated criminal justice units established in 20 areas and 54 trial units in 32 areas. The schedule shows the location and date of establishment of these units.
The pace with which areas have progressed the Glidewell recommendations has largely been influenced by the availability of either suitable CPS or police buildings.
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Criminal justice units Area/location Date established Avon and Somerset Bristol June 2000 Taunton June 2000 Bedfordshire — Cambridgeshire Huntingdon January 2002 Parkside December 2001 Thorpe Wood January 2002 Cheshire Crewe March 2001 Cleveland Middlesbrough October 2000 Hartlepool February 2002 Cumbria — Derbyshire — Devon and Cornwall — Dorset — Durham — Dyfed Powys — 656W
Criminal justice units Area/location Date established Essex Colchester September 2000 Harlow December 2000 Southend November 2000 Lalndon March 2001 Gloucestershire Gloucester April 2001 Greater Manchester — Gwent — Hampshire Basingstoke June 2001 Aldershot March 2001 Isle of Wight October 2000 Portsmouth April 2001 Portswood July 2001 Hertfordshire St. Albans April 2001 Watford April 2001 Hertford January 2002 Humberside Grimsby April 2001 Scunthorpe April 2001 Hull June 2001 Kent Folkestone January 2001 Maidstone January 2001 Canterbury July 2001 Chatham July 2001 Lancashire Preston March 2001 Leicestershire — Lincolnshire Skegness June 2001 Merseyside — Metropolitan and City Bishopsgate September 2001 Norfolk — Northamptonshire Weston Favell October 2001 Northumbria — North Wales Caenarfon April 2001 Colwyn Bay January 2002 North Yorkshire — Nottinghamshire — South Wales Rumney January 2002 South Yorkshire Barnsley May 2000 Doncaster November 2001 Staffordshire — Suffolk — Surrey — Sussex — Thames Valley — Warwickshire — West Mercia — West Midlands Brierly Hill March 2001 Halesowen March 2001 West Bromich November 2001 West Yorkshire Halifax October 2000 Wiltshire — 657W
Trial units Area/location Date established Avon and Somerset Bristol June 2000 Bedfordshire Luton October 1999 Cambridgeshire Huntingdon January 2002 Cheshire Chester March 2001 Warrington March 2001 Cleveland Middlesbrough October 2000 Cumbria — Derbyshire Derby October 2000 Devon and Cornwall Exeter December 2000 Plymouth December 2000 Truro December 2001 Dorset — Durham Durham March 2001 Dyfed Powys Carmathan March 2002 Essex Chelmsford March 2001 Gloucestershire Gloucester October 2001 Greater Manchester — Gwent Newport January 2001 Hampshire Isle of Wight October 2000 Eastleigh April 2001 Portsmouth April 2001 Hertfordshire St. Albans January 2002 Humberside Grimsby April 2001 Hull March 2001 Kent Maidstone January 2001 Canterbury January 2001 Lancashire Preston May 2001 Burnley May 2001 Leicestershire — Lincolnshire Lincoln January 2001 Merseyside Liverpool December 2000 Crosby December 2000 Metropolitan and City Old Bailey February 2001 Harrow/Isleworth March 2002 Snarsbrook March 2002 Southwark/Middlesex March 2002 ILCC/Youth March 2002 Blackfrairs/Woolwich March 2002 Wood Green March 2002 Kingston March 2002 Croydon March 2002 Norfolk Norwich June 2001
Trial units Area/location Date established Northamptonshire — Northumbna Newcastle June 2001 North Wales Wrexham March 2001 Colwyn Bay January 2002 North Yorkshire — Nottinghamshire Nottingham May 2000 South Wales — South Yorkshire Sheffield December 2001 Staffordshire Stafford October 2000 Newcastle under Lyme October 2000 Suffolk Ipswich April 2000 Surrey Guildford April 2000 Sussex — Thames Valley Abindon, Reading and Aylesbury April 2001 Warwickshire — West Mercia — West Midlands Birmingham January 2001 Coventry April 2001 Wolverhampton January 2001 West Yorkshire Leeds October 2000 Bradford October 2000 Wiltshire Wiltshire September 1999