§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Solicitor-General what steps are being taken by the CPS to target street crime in each hot spot street crime area. [128723]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralSince Aril 2002, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has worked in partnership with the police and the courts to target street crime in the 10 areas with the biggest robbery problem.
As a result, levels of street crime in these 10 areas have been reduced by 17 per cent. and conviction rates have been improved.
The CPS has played a central role by developing a premium service for street crime cases whereby experienced prosecutors get 'in early and stay late'. The elements of the premium service are:
pre-charge advice to police to get the charge right first time;close working with police to improve file quality and timeliness;reduce the discontinuance rate of street crime cases;improve case progression in partnership with courts;monitoring ineffective and cracked trials; andprovide extra care and attention to victims and witnesses.