CPS in capital 'among worst performers in country'

Prosecution lawyers in London are allowing too many offenders to escape justice and are among the worst performers in the country, an official report warned.

The Inspectorate of the Crown Prosecution Service says too many trials in the capital have to be abandoned because the files are not ready, too many cases are dropped and the Crown Court conviction rate is one of the lowest nationwide.

Overall, it concludes that the CPS in London is "poor" at bringing offenders to justice in the Crown Court and warns that its performance in the past two years has declined in this key area.

The findings are contained in separate reports on the three CPS areas covering London. The worst performing is the CPS North and East sector, which covers 11 boroughs ranging from Camden, Islington and Haringey to Havering, and is classed as being "poor" overall. Prosecutors in this area also received a below par rating for their performance at magistrates' hearings.

The two other CPS areas - South and West - both receive an overall rating of "fair", but attract similar criticism for their "poor" performance in Crown Courts.

Dru Sharpling, the chief crown prosecutor for London, said the CPS's performance in magistrates' courts had improved and advances had been made in other areas, but conceded that further work needed to be done.