Nearly half of CPS letters to complainants 'inadequate'

The Crown Prosecution Service has been told to ‘get a grip’ on the way it handles complaints after inspectors found half of written responses to complainants, including victims of crime, were inadequate.

According to a HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report published today, only 51% of final letters sent to complainants were adequate or better. Of the 351 responses inspected, 66 were deemed to be of ‘good quality’. The 113 letters rated ‘adequate’ still contained minor errors, such as spelling mistakes.

The inspectorate said the findings were ‘disappointing’ given the CPS has two levels of quality assurance and letters with even just minor errors can cause complainants to lose confidence in the prosecuting body.

The CPS is required to send a letter of acknowledgment to the complainant within three working days – which was done in 261 cases. However, in 90 cases it was sent late.

The CPS must send a ‘holding’ letter informing the complainant of any delays in providing a full response. Inspectors identified 116 cases that required a ‘holding’ letter – but this was sent in only 55 cases.

Several letters contained simple spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which the CPS’s two-stage quality assurance did not pick up. 

The last inspection on the quality and timeliness of letters was carried out in 2018. Chief inspector Andrew Cayley KC said: ‘It is concerning that five years on, letters of complaint are still not being adequately addressed by the CPS. Many written responses go to victims of crime and the fact they are still receiving formulaic letters, or where basic details are wrong, is disappointing.

‘Inspectors did uncover some good examples which showed improvements had been made, but there has been an insufficient overall progress since 2018. The CPS must act urgently to get a grip of this situation. This is not a case of us singling out letters which had simple spelling mistakes – there were real inadequacies, and a review of the system is needed now to restore confidence.’

The report did, however, contain positive findings. The CPS acknowledged mistakes and offered an apology in 173 out of the 203 relevant letters. The right level of empathy was expressed in 290 out of 351 letters – a vast improvement since 2018.

A CPS spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to maintaining the highest standards for victims and improving our feedback and complaints procedure is a vital part of that. We are pleased there have been significant improvements since our last inspection in 2018, with empathy, timeliness and our acknowledgement of mistakes all highlighted as strengths. We recognise that there is more that can be done, and we will continue to drive forward improvements so that we can provide the best possible service for victims.’

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