Relations With the Police and the Public, and With Overseas Police and Judicial Authorities (From Role of the Prosecutor -- Report of the International Criminal Justice Seminar held at the London School of Economics and Political Science, January 1987, P 19-26, 1988, J E Hall Williams, ed. -- See NC

• NCJ Number: 118589
• Author(s): J Wood
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Gower Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

The Royal Commission clearly divides the functions of police and prosecutor -- the police investigate and the prosecutor makes the decision on whether the prosecution should continue.

Abstract

Parliament expects the Crown Prosecution Service to shows its independence from the police, but no Crown Prosecution Service office will be able to function at its best unless the relationship with the local police is close and mutual confidence is high. It is the duty of the police to trace and interview witnesses, including experts and to inform the media of names of defendants, charges, and the state of inquiries or prosecution. International cooperation, however, is encumbered by the British legal system requirement that witnesses give oral evidence in person. This has resulted in witnesses from abroad failing to appear as promised at hearings. Another factor is that the United Kingdom is regarded as a country from which extradition is virtually impossible as a result of English rules of evidence and taking of evidence on oath. Procedures for improving these situations are discussed.