The independent inspectors of the Crown Prosecution Service have praised its specialist Organised Crime Division (OCD) for high-quality case preparation and decision-making, in a report published this week.

The HM CPS Inspectorate commended the CPS’s specialist organised crime prosecutors for their availability to give pre-charge advice to the Serious Organised Crime Agency, and their early preparation and clear case summaries.

It found records of review decisions were ‘often excellent’, staff had a high degree of expertise, and unused material was handled well with an open and transparent disclosure policy.

But the report criticised the OCD’s use of its electronic case management system, which reduced its ability to analyse and manage performance. It also recommended that the OCD should have a clear advocacy strategy for Crown advocates and implement a structured advocacy monitoring system.

The OCD division was formed in 2005 to handle cases referred to it from SOCA, which mainly comprise drug offences, human trafficking, immigration, non-fiscal fraud, money laundering and asset recovery.