Chief to quit over CPS failure

London's most senior prosecutor is to quit his post in the wake of a damning report which exposed the Crown Prosecution Service's woeful record of courtroom failure.

Peter Boeuf, who has headed the CPS in the capital since April 1999, has agreed to take early retirement and a replacement is expected by the end of March. The move comes after the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate's study revealed how lacklustre prosecutors, absent police officers and reluctant witnesses contribute to the collapse of thousands of serious criminal cases in London each year.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith QC, giving evidence to the Commons home affairs select committee today, confirmed Mr Boeuf was retiring as part of a set of sweeping reforms, saying: "The senior management team in London was criticised for its failure to act as a coherent entity which gave rise to some problems. We are taking active steps to ensure that the situation is improved."