Charging decisions over the summer

There have been social media comments which suggest the CPS has recently advised police we will only charge high harm and custody cases. This is not true.

Please be reassured that the CPS continues to provide charging decisions to police forces as normal - there is no reduction in service.

We are working with the National Police Chiefs' Council to improve how we work together. Demand is higher over the summer period and to avoid long telephone queues, we have issued guidance to forces ahead of summer which clarifies how officers should request advice.

Our CPS Direct team provides emergency charging decisions in the most serious cases, including out of hours. This guidance reminds colleagues of the types of high risk case that should be directed to the CPS Direct team, such as domestic abuse where there is a threat of violence. CPS Direct will also review cases where a suspect is in custody and the police are seeking to extend the period of time on remand.

All other cases will be considered by prosecutors in our 14 CPS Area teams, as normal.