Diane seeks meeting with Government Ministers over Hackney CPS Report.
Following a damning report of the Hackney Borough Unit Crown Prosecution Service (Hackney CPS), Diane Abbott MP has called for the Hackney CPS to act immediately on the recommendations set out in the assessment.
The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (CPSI) assessment provides a detailed review of the performance standards of different Crown Prosecution Services in the country, documenting aspects such as witness management, conviction rates and administrative organisation. The report revealed that Hackney CPS conviction rates are lower than both the London and national averages, with many cases being thrown out due to mismanagement and poor preparation. The assessment also highlighted the poor quality of ‘file endorsements’ (records of decisions and required actions following cases), and the overall performance of the Hackney CPS was described as poor. Diane Abbott MP was so alarmed at the findings, she made immediate plans to meet with Ministers on the issue.
Speaking earlier today, Diane said:
“Having read the CPSI assessment on the performance of the Hackney CPS, I am extremely disappointed at the conclusions reached. The report was quite right to point out how gun crime and gang violence can create problems such as intimidating witnesses, but the failure of the Hackney CPS to accommodate these issues is ruthlessly exposed in this report. Organisation and management in the Hackney CPS is dreadful; the lack of staff and heavy workloads mean that work is increasingly being outsourced to private agents, which of course costs money. What is the point of our police men and women pulling criminals off the street and into custody, only for their cases to be thrown out due to poor management and organisation? What is the point of members our community working hard to make sure thugs are not tolerated, only for the courts to fail to convict them? The CPSI Assessment should be a wake up call for all those concerned with crime in Hackney and I look forward to working with Ministers and the Hackney CPS to see how we can go forward and act on the recommendations set out in the report”.
Ends
For more information please call Sally Scott on
020 7219 4426
back ⇢