AC1.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of roles of personnel involved in criminal investigations
Crown Prosecution Service
The role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to prosecute criminal cases that have
been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales.
The CPS must follow the code for Crown Prosecutors which is a public document that sets
out the general principles Crown Prosecutors should follow when they make decisions on
cases. The code states that in order for them to charge an individual for an offence it must
be in the public's interest and they must be satisfied there is enough evidence to provide a
conviction, the evidence also has to to be reliable and credible.
In the UK there are around 2,000 solicitors and barristers employed by the CPS who work in
14 regional offices. Their salaries can start at around £32,000 while the most experienced
professionals can earn up to £150,000. To become a qualified solicitor or barrister for the
CPS you must earn at least a lower second class degree and have to complete a legal
practice course/bar exam and also 2 years of training, totalling to 10 years of expertise.
One advantage of the CPS is that it is independent from both the police and government.
This independence is vital to ensure a fair justice system. Prosecutions are done by an
independent body to ensure that there is not an ulterior motive to taking a case to court. For
example, the police may well know particular people from their day-to-day work who could
be prosecuted and be influenced by this knowledge. This would then be a subjective view on
whether a prosecution was needed, rather than one that considers each case based on just
the facts. Another advantage of the CPS is it can save money and time. As the CPS is a
dedicated body for managing prosecutions, it saves time and money by having a streamlined
process. It also does not prosecute in cases where there is insufficient evidence or it is not in
the public's interest, this eases pressure on the courts, again saving money and time as
court cases cost a lot and take time to set up. However, a disadvantage of the CPS is they
have been known to make serious errors. Using the case of Harriet Atkinson, the CPS asked
witnesses to attend court at 14:15, rather than 10:00, due to the witness being told the
wrong time, the case was abandoned and justice was not served. Another disadvantage of
the CPS is they can throw out cases brought forward by the police if they think there is
inadequate evidence, meaning the case won't go through and justice isn't served.
Shockingly this has led to “weak rape cases” being dropped, which leaves victims and
families traumatised. Lastly, funding is continually being cut so there are more cases but less
staff to deal with them. Which means even more mistakes can happen within the CPS. For
example they might deem a case as having inadequate evidence, because due to the lack of
staff they may rush reading the evidence for a case just to get through reading all the other
cases.
Police Officers
Police officers are usually the first personnel at the crime scene, their main focus is to
protect the public by arresting potential suspects and securing the crime scene. One way
they secure the crime is by putting yellow tape around where the crime scene has taken
place, which prevents unauthorized citizens from entering the crime scene or contaminating
any evidence. Once the crime scene is discovered, they also need to interview as many
witnesses as possible, they aim to do this in ‘the golden hour’. The Golden Hour is the period
directly after the crime scene is discovered. It is a vital time for police to gain as much
Crown Prosecution Service
The role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to prosecute criminal cases that have
been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales.
The CPS must follow the code for Crown Prosecutors which is a public document that sets
out the general principles Crown Prosecutors should follow when they make decisions on
cases. The code states that in order for them to charge an individual for an offence it must
be in the public's interest and they must be satisfied there is enough evidence to provide a
conviction, the evidence also has to to be reliable and credible.
In the UK there are around 2,000 solicitors and barristers employed by the CPS who work in
14 regional offices. Their salaries can start at around £32,000 while the most experienced
professionals can earn up to £150,000. To become a qualified solicitor or barrister for the
CPS you must earn at least a lower second class degree and have to complete a legal
practice course/bar exam and also 2 years of training, totalling to 10 years of expertise.
One advantage of the CPS is that it is independent from both the police and government.
This independence is vital to ensure a fair justice system. Prosecutions are done by an
independent body to ensure that there is not an ulterior motive to taking a case to court. For
example, the police may well know particular people from their day-to-day work who could
be prosecuted and be influenced by this knowledge. This would then be a subjective view on
whether a prosecution was needed, rather than one that considers each case based on just
the facts. Another advantage of the CPS is it can save money and time. As the CPS is a
dedicated body for managing prosecutions, it saves time and money by having a streamlined
process. It also does not prosecute in cases where there is insufficient evidence or it is not in
the public's interest, this eases pressure on the courts, again saving money and time as
court cases cost a lot and take time to set up. However, a disadvantage of the CPS is they
have been known to make serious errors. Using the case of Harriet Atkinson, the CPS asked
witnesses to attend court at 14:15, rather than 10:00, due to the witness being told the
wrong time, the case was abandoned and justice was not served. Another disadvantage of
the CPS is they can throw out cases brought forward by the police if they think there is
inadequate evidence, meaning the case won't go through and justice isn't served.
Shockingly this has led to “weak rape cases” being dropped, which leaves victims and
families traumatised. Lastly, funding is continually being cut so there are more cases but less
staff to deal with them. Which means even more mistakes can happen within the CPS. For
example they might deem a case as having inadequate evidence, because due to the lack of
staff they may rush reading the evidence for a case just to get through reading all the other
cases.
Police Officers
Police officers are usually the first personnel at the crime scene, their main focus is to
protect the public by arresting potential suspects and securing the crime scene. One way
they secure the crime is by putting yellow tape around where the crime scene has taken
place, which prevents unauthorized citizens from entering the crime scene or contaminating
any evidence. Once the crime scene is discovered, they also need to interview as many
witnesses as possible, they aim to do this in ‘the golden hour’. The Golden Hour is the period
directly after the crime scene is discovered. It is a vital time for police to gain as much
