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Press Notice – CPS Direct Inspection

Published:

CPS delivers effective out-of-hours charging service, says HMCPSI

The CPS is delivering an effective out-of-hours service providing good quality charging decisions, and keeping dangerous offenders off our streets 365 days  year, says the CPS watchdog.

His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has today [18 September 2025] published an inspection looking at the effectiveness of CPS Direct, the CPS’ out-of-hours service.

In its latest inspection, HMCPSI has found that CPS Direct prosecutors were consistently delivering good quality charging decisions, making the right decisions to charge or to take no further action on cases that allowed cases to progress at this early stage without delay.

Inspectors found that CPS Direct selected proportionate charges 80% of the time and provided clear instructions to prosecutors appearing in court contributing to effective and efficient progress at the first court hearing.

CPS Direct made good decisions on whether defendants should be kept in custody or granted bail heling to protect the public and explained their decisions clearly in cases where no further action was being taken.

HMCPSI’s Chief Inspector Anthony Rogers said:

“Criminal activity doesn’t stop for office hours and providing effective charging decisions is a 24/7 job. The CPS’ out-of-hours service plays a crucial role within the criminal justice system, making the right decisions to charge the most serious offences and keeping the most dangerous offenders off our streets.

“This inspection found that CPS Direct prosecutors are getting many of the fundamentals right despite the time pressures: charging decisions are correct, good-quality, and clearly explained. These prosecutors work unsociable hours and are integral to the effective operation of the criminal justice system and to protecting the public 365 days a year.”

HMCPSI also identified areas for improvement for CPS Direct including the quality of case analysis and strategic considerations, and ongoing challenges in police-CPS relations.

Inspectors made two recommendations for CPS to implement:

  • By December 2026, CPS Direct to consistently provide to the National Joint Charging Board a breakdown of the National File Standard non-compliant files that were rejected at triage and those that accepted with remedial work carried out during the CPSD three-hour SLA period. 

By September 2026, CPS Direct to have improved the quality of the case strategy and analysis in their pre-charge reviews and the quality of action plans. By December 2025, the CPS to have carried out assurance to evidence improvement.

The full HMCPSI report is available here.