VICTIMS and witnesses of crimes in Redbridge are generally poorly treated by the local branch of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a damning report has said.
An investigation revealed that many victims were never told when charges had been dropped against their alleged attackers, while applications for special measures for witnesses were often made late.
The handling of serious violent, sexual and hate crimes was also judged to be lacking.
The report comes from watchdog Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), which has only just recently started assessing individual boroughs.
But despite an overall "poor" rating, the report did say that custody time limits in Redbridge were "good" while many other services were rated "fair".
Part of the cause for Redbridge CPS's failures was the recent split from a joint unit with the borough of Havering, the report said.
The investigation also revealed that in the 12 months to June 2009 the number of cases going through the borough’s magistrates’ court rose significantly, while the number of cases with “successful outcomes” was higher than the London average but lower than the national average.
An inspectorate spokesman said: “The quality of decision-making is generally sound and this is reflected in the level of successful outcomes in magistrates’ court cases when compared with CPS London overall.
“However, inspectors found that there was a need to improve the timeliness of aspects of case preparation and compliance with the prosecution’s duty of disclosure of unused material to the defence as a priority.
“Overall performance in the handling of serious violent and sexual offences and hate crimes needs to be strengthened.”
Stephen Wooler, HM Chief Inspector of the CPS, said: “This assessment of poor overall performance reflects the difficult circumstances in which the borough has worked including significant structural changes.
"It is to the credit of the managers and staff that the rate of successful outcomes has been maintained above the London average whilst the caseload has increased significantly.
"However, several aspects of its work are weak and managers need to ensure that there is a good grip on casework performance during this time of change and to focus attention on the handling of serious and sensitive crimes.”
Have you been treated poorly by the CPS? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625 or via email at dbinns@london.newsquest.co.uk
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