Inspectors impressed with CPS response to lockdown

A report from Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) found that actions taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) immediately before and during the national lockdown were effective and sound.

HMCPSI carried out an inspection to look at the organisations handling of the pandemic crisis following the Prime Minister’s announcement that the UK was going into lockdown.

The CPS had to continue to operate within the restrictions imposed to ensure the smooth running of criminal justice system and inspectors praised the CPS for its response. Inspectors found this was not done at the expense of staff safety, and staff felt that the organisation had put their safety first.

In 2016 the CPS began to develop its 2020 vision which set out a number of priorities, including digital capability and supporting the success of its people. Inspectors found that because of this work, casework systems and processes were already in place to allow for work to be done remotely, so the CPS were able to move the majority of their workforce from offices to home overnight. This meant that there was no interruption in service delivery. Inspectors highlighted that this was an impressive achievement.

Frontline staff informed inspectors that managers at all levels were supportive, giving clear messages and keeping staff up-to-date about what was happening with regular communication and support offered to staff. Again inspectors were impressed by the level of internal communication and the approach to external communication which showed support to key workers who faced abuse or were put at risk while carrying out their day jobs.

The report revealed that both nationally and locally the CPS created well-being hubs to support staff during the lockdown. Staff informed inspectors that this support had helped with their health and well-being. Inspectors also found that support packages, consisting of equipment such as laptop stands or screens for those involved in video hearings had been offered to all staff to make working from home easier.

The report also reveals that because of the lock down a backlog of cases in the criminal justice system is increasing daily. This was not a surprise given that many courts were dealing with the most urgent cases only. At the current levels of case backlogs some estimates indicate that if the current scale of increase continues the backlog would, at pre-pandemic rates, take up to 10 years to clear.

 

Commenting on the report, HM Chief Inspector Kevin McGinty, said:

“The CPS has played a key role in ensuring that justice has continued to be delivered. It’s encouraging to see staff felt that their safety was a top priority, and they were updated regularly with what was happening and what was required.

“It’s clear that actions the CPS took in creating its 2020 vision allowed them to react in such a way that the pandemic has had a very limited impact on its business.

“I hope that the fervour and innovation that has taken place during the initial response is maintained into and throughout the challenge of recovery.”

 

Note to editors

1. HMCPSI inspects prosecution services, providing evidence to make the prosecution process better and more accountable. We have a statutory duty to inspect the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.
2. The full inspection report can be found here: CPS response to COVID-19 16 March to 8 May 2020 (812 kB)
3. The inspection covers the period of 16 March to 8 May 2020.
4. Inspectors virtually visited three CPS Areas; West Midland: North West and Wessex, carrying out interviews via Microsoft Teams between 1-8 June 2020.