NCJ Number
135666
Date Published
1989
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The legal systems for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have different elements of political control and criminal investigation procedures.
Abstract
The United Kingdom has no justice ministry, but the Home Office is responsible for criminal justice policies, the police, immigration, and prisons. The Attorney General, an elected member of the House of Commons, is responsible for the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office. There is no national police force in England and Wales or Scotland; Northern Ireland has the Royal Ulster Constabulary. England has 43 main police forces, all established in different ways. For example, the oldest and largest force is the Metropolitan Police in London which was established in 1829. The 1985 Prosecution of Offences Act created the Crown Prosecution Service which is responsible for prosecuting all offenses investigated by the police in England and Wales. Section 2 of the 1987 Criminal Justice Act gave extensive powers of investigation to the Serious Fraud Office. English law is very restrictive as to the form in which evidence can be admitted. The most important procedural change in the Criminal Justice Act relates to documentary evidence. The regulation of securities markets comes under the Financial Services Act of 1986. 13 notes