Member

Although individual decisions are made independently and protected from political influence, the Crown Prosecution Service as an organisation is superintended by the Attorney-General by virtue of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The details of what that means in practice are set out in the framework agreement between the law officers and the Director of Public Prosecutions, signed by the then Attorney-General under the previous Government. The framework makes it plain that the role of the CPS is to take independent decisions on individual cases referred to it by the police and other criminal investigation authorities based on the evidence available and the public interest in pursuing a prosecution, which accords with the Code for Crown prosecutors.