Publication date:
Sir Alasdair Fraser, Director of Public Prosecutions today said that the findings of the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) confirms the significant progress the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has made towards realising its vision to be recognised as providing a first-class prosecution service.
The Director was commenting following the publication of CJINI’s report of its follow-up inspection of the Public Prosecution Service.
He said: “I welcome the findings of the report and in particular the recognition that much good work has been done and importantly that the quality of our core prosecutorial decision making remains sound.
“The Inspection found that progress had been achieved against all of the 17 recommendations made in its 2007 baseline report of the PPS.
“I am encouraged that CJINI has confirmed that overall the organisation is moving forward and has recognised that as a young organisation still in transition we are moving rapidly towards maturity.
“We must continue to build on these achievements and ensure that significant further progress continues to be realised.“The PPS is fully committed to enhancing its service to victims and witnesses and the current year will see additional progress across a range of areas including the publication of a number of new policy initiatives on hate crime, sexual offences and serious road traffic offences.”
The Director was disappointed with the finding in the report that there was resistance by prosecutors to providing more detailed reasons for decisions not to prosecute.
Explaining the service’s policy on giving reasons, he said: “The giving of reasons for not prosecuting is a complex issue. A balance needs to be struck between the proper interests of victims and witnesses and other concerns including damage to the reputation or other injustice to an individual, the danger of infringing upon the presumption of innocence and the risk of jeopardising the safety of others.
“Our policy is to give reasons for decisions not to prosecute in all cases in general terms. This policy is examined and reviewed in every case where a request for the provision of detailed reasons is made. Normally detailed reasons would be provided.
“It is unfortunate that due to the timing of the Inspection, the report was not able to fully reflect the extent of significant developments with regard to PPS policy on the giving of reasons which were under active consideration at the time of the Inspection.
“From October 2009 we will provide detailed reasons to victims and their families across a range of offences without a request having to be made. These offences include those identified through the NI Omnibus Survey 2009 as those most likely to give concern to victims such as homicide, sexual offences, hate crime and any offences involving vulnerable members of society.”
Sir Alasdair, in endorsing the view of CJINI that PPS is at the heart of the criminal justice system, added: “We will continue to play a pivotal role within the criminal justice system, working with our partners and other stakeholders to influence change and contribute to delivering a justice system that serves and protects everyone and in which the whole community can have
confidence.”
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