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The CPS Areas, CPSD, CPS Central Casework Divisions and CPS Proceeds of Crime

The CPS operates across England and Wales, with 14 regional teams prosecuting cases locally. Each of these 14 CPS Areas is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor, and works closely with local police forces and other criminal justice partners. Find out who’s who in your Area, and read more about local cases.

CPS Direct, our out-of-hours service, works through the night, at weekends and bank holidays, to provide charging advice to the police on cases where the suspect cannot be released on bail.

Our Central Casework Divisions deal with some of the most complex cases we prosecute, including international justice and organised crime; special crime; terrorism and serious and complex fraud.

In addition, CPS Proceeds of Crime is a dedicated division responsible for all restraint, enforcement and serious confiscation work.

CPS Direct is the out-of-hours service for the CPS.

We work closely with the police, although we are independent of them, providing them with advice on whether they can charge a suspect who is in custody. We do this by reviewing evidence gathered by police and deciding whether the suspect should be prosecuted, using the test set out in our Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Our duty is to prosecute the right people for the right offences. Here at CPS Direct we deal specifically with cases where the suspect cannot be released on bail because they pose a risk to the public.

Once a decision has been made on a case by a CPS Direct prosecutor it is passed on to one of our 14 geographical CPS Areas which takes local responsibility of the progression of the case through the courts.

Our Structure

We have over 250 colleagues based across England and Wales working through the night, at weekends and bank holidays to respond to cases referred to us by the police.

Our team is made up of experienced prosecutors and operational delivery colleagues and who are committed to the delivery of justice. We aim to act professionally and strive for excellence, continually looking to improve our service and the way we work.

CPS Direct is headed by Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) Suzanne Llewellyn, whose responsibilities include carrying out prosecutions; setting and maintaining professional and ethical standards; contributing to national policy and strategy and ensuring effective employee relations.

The CCP is supported by a team of senior managers with expertise in legal and business management matters. On the legal side, support is provided by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, Anton Allera. Ceri Moggridge is the Area Business Manager and has responsibility for the business and operational delivery functions.

Suzanne Llewellyn, Chief Crown Prosecutor

Suzanne Llewellyn was appointed as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West in June 2024 and also has dual responsibility as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct, which she took up in August 2023.

Suzanne’s career in the CPS, began as a legal trainee in 1991 in the West Midlands Area. She quickly developed her advocacy skills, to become a Senior Crown Prosecutor and qualifying as a Crown Advocate. During this time, Suzanne gained extensive experience from prosecuting a diverse range of cases in the Magistrates and Crown Courts across the Midlands region.

Suzanne’s move into the management pathway has seen her take responsibility for Magistrates', Crown Court and Complex Casework teams, leading to her being appointed as the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for West Midlands, a post she held for eight years. Following periods as the Acting Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands, Suzanne was appointed the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex in 2021.

In August 2023, Suzanne additionally took the command of CPS Direct, the CPS National Out-of-Hours Service.

In her senior leadership role, Suzanne has developed strong working relationships with a wide range of Police Forces including West Midlands, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Wiltshire and British Transport Police. Suzanne’s command of the Wessex region also allowed her to develop close links with the Military and the Service Prosecution Authority.

Suzanne’s dual role as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct has seen Suzanne working with all police forces across England and Wales, to provide out of hours charging and secure the successful roll out of the new charging model.

Throughout her career, Suzanne has led significant organisational change programs, including Transforming Criminal Justice and Better Case Management, development of the Crown Court Operating model, the Covid Recovery response and developing a streamlined approach to bring prosecutions for all British Transport Police investigations into CPS West Midlands region. She also developed the operating model to establish an Organised Crime and Serious Violence Unit to tackle homicide and organised crime and most recently the roll-out of the National Charging Model.

Suzanne has a deeply-rooted passion to improve the service in respect of tackling violence against women and girls and hate crime. She has sought to use her platform as a Senior leader, to ensure that victims are placed at the heart of the Criminal Justice System.

Suzanne has collaborated extensively with schools, colleges, and universities to introduce ambitious work experience and mini-pupillage opportunities. Suzanne’s personal journey into the legal profession has driven her to ensure that candidates see a career in Law as being inclusive, diverse and an attainable career of choice for all. Suzanne was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The University of Wolverhampton in 2020 in recognition of her work in this area.

Suzanne is delighted to bring her extensive experience and knowledge in all aspects of the Criminal Justice System to CPS North West and CPS Direct.

Ceri Moggridge - Area Business Manager

Ceri Moggridge, ABMCeri first joined the CPS as the Area Business Manager (ABM) for the South East in April 2020, she then moved to CPS Direct in October 2022; with overall responsibility for the Operational Delivery and Business Operations.

Ceri’s career in the Civil Service began in 2015 when she joined as a Fast Track Apprentice in Business and Business Administration. She initially worked in projects and recruitment within Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) based in Cardiff. She then moved to the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) cross-government team, supporting the 250,000 civil servants within the profession. This national team focused on supporting capability building, qualifications, apprenticeships, community building and talent management of the largest profession in government. In 2018, she was promoted to Head of Business Management and Private Secretary, where she led on a wide variety of elements such as business planning, private office, finance, secretariat and governance.

Following completion of her apprenticeship, she elected to study first a Postgraduate in Advanced Leadership and latterly a Masters in Strategic Leadership in Management and is now a proud to be a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) remaining very committed to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for both herself and her teams. She is now the National Apprenticeship Champion for the CPS.

Victims' Right to Review

The Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme was launched on the 5 June 2013. The VRR Scheme gives victims the right to request a review of a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision not to prosecute or to terminate criminal proceedings.

We are committed to dealing with Victims and Witnesses with respect. We understand being a victim and or witness of crime can be difficult and are sensitive to how vulnerable some may feel due to their experiences.

We will ensure that they are dealt with in a professional and courteous manner. We will listen to their needs and support them through the process so that they can give their best evidence at court.

This CPS Area is committed to ensuring that we are renowned for our professionalism, and that we are delivering justice to all members of our communities.

We want communities to continue to have confidence in their local justice system, to believe their interests are fairly represented and justice is seen to be done.

Contact information for CPS Direct VRR

CPS Direct Victim Liaison Unit
Phone number: 01904 545605
Email: cpsdirect.vrrandcomplaints@cps.gov.uk

Our Central Casework Divisions deal with some of the most complex cases we prosecute. They work closely with specialist investigators from a range of organisations, including the National Crime Agency, HM Revenue & Customs and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, as well as police forces across England and Wales.

The specialist divisions, each headed by a Head of Division (equivalent to a Chief Crown Prosecutor), are:

Contacting the CPS

To contact your local CPS Area or CPS Direct by phone, email or post, please find the details by selecting the relevant Area on this page. To contact the CPS generally, give feedback or make a complaint, please see our Contact page. To report a problem with this website (only), please email the CPS Webmaster.