The Crown Prosecution Service and Association of Chief Police Officers today announced the nationwide roll-out of a telephone charging advice service for police.

From January, the existing CPS Direct service, which provides advice to police when charging suspects out of hours, will be expanded across England and Wales to operate 24 hours a day.

It is designed to provide easier access to CPS lawyers for police, and improve the consistency and efficiency of the charging process.

The service will give police officers instant access, via phone or secure digital service, to CPS prosecutors when seeking advice and authorisation on less serious charging decisions.

Charging decisions in all serious or complex cases will remain the subject of face-to-face consultations between police and prosecutors.

The two organisations also announced a pilot scheme to test the return of some charging decisions from the CPS to the police.

Under the pilot, charging decisions for less serious cases which can only be heard in the magistrates’ courts will be taken by police. Its impact will be reviewed after six months.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of the CPS, said: ‘We are constantly looking to improve the way we make charging decisions. Under our latest plan, we will be supplying a national 24/7 advice service for the police about charging decisions by rolling out the CPS Direct scheme to all 42 CPS Areas.’

‘Additionally, we intend to pilot changes to the current division of charging responsibilities between the police and CPS. There is clear value in CPS lawyers authorising charging in the more serious cases, but we want to test whether some lower-level offences may be more effectively dealt with by the police.’

‘This is about the CPS and the police working closely together as an effective prosecution team to deliver the most efficient and effective criminal justice system that we can,’ he said.

Tim Godwin, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and head of ACPO criminal justice business area, said: ‘Ready access and referral to CPS prosecutors at any time for volume crime cases enables a charge decision to be obtained earlier than at present. It saves police investigators time and in some instances unnecessary travelling for appointments with a lawyer.’

As a result, he said, it would reduce the need to release suspects on pre-charge bail to return to the police station while waiting for the charge decision.

The pilot areas will be announced in due course.