§ The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith)The review of the code for Crown Prosecutors, which I announced on 18 March 2004 (Official Report, col. WS25) is now complete. Copies of the revised code have been printed and have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The fundamental evidential and public interest considerations have not changed. However, the code has been amended to reflect the new role played by the Crown Prosecution Service in statutory charging whereby Crown Prosecutors, rather than the police, will normally decide whether or not to charge a suspect and will determine the appropriate charge or charges. The new code also properly reflects other key developments in the four years since the code was last reviewed. These include: the developing role of prosecutors in assisting the sentencing court and seeking post conviction orders such as anti-social behaviour orders; alternatives to prosecution such as conditional cautioning; and new public interest factors in favour of prosecution relating to confiscation and any other orders, children, and community confidence. To ensure the code's accessibility, it will be published in audio and Braille and, in addition to English and Welsh, the most commonly spoken community languages.
I welcome the revised code and commend it to all prosecuting authorities. Copies of the code for Crown Prosecutors will be available on the Crown Prosecution Service website which can be found at www.cps.gov.uk