A report from Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service in Wales over its communication with victims of crimes and their families.
Despite criticism of its communication with victims, which was rated as “poor”, HMCPSI said the service was generally “performing positively” and delivering value for money.
During 2015, CPS Wales spent on average £430 per case, against a national average of £602.
On the communication issue, the report said: “Inspectors found only limited evidence of compliance with the Victims’ Code and policies on communication with victims (including consulting victims on discontinuance or pleas, Victim Communication Letters, communications with bereaved families, and the Victims’ Right to Review).
“Performance is poor in relation to quality and timeliness of correspondence – in only half of relevant cases was a timely Victim Communication Letter, of sufficient quality, sent.”
Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales, said: “We recognise the need to provide an excellent service to victims and witnesses and we are already working hard to ensure that the quality of our communications with victims and witnesses is of a high standard and meets individual needs.
“This includes increasing the resources available within our victim liaison unit, implementing new arrangements for speaking with witnesses at court, on-going training for prosecutors and gathering feedback from victims.”