Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
The CPS was established in 1986 as an independent authority to prosecute criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. In undertaking this role, the CPS:
- Advises the police during the early stages of investigations
- Determines whether proceedings should start or continue
- Determines the appropriate charges in all but minor cases
- Keeps all cases under continuous review and decides which cases should be prosecuted
- Prepares cases for prosecution in court and prosecutes the cases with in-house advocates or instructs agents and counsel to present cases and
- Provides information and assistance to victims and prosecution witnesses
For further information visit the Crown Prosecution Service website.