Future of the CPS

SIR – There is rightful condemnation of Alison Saunders’ tenure at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) (Comment, April 3). However, I recall Keir Starmer’s time as Director of Public Prosecutions as being no better.

What we should really be discussing is the future of the CPS. It has been a failure in every respect. I was a serving detective in the Metropolitan Police for many years. My role early on was straightforward: I investigated serious crime, arrested suspects, interviewed them and charged them if the evidence was compelling. The victims of crime were paramount. The police were their representatives all through the judicial process.

Then came the professional decision-makers. The CPS is riskaverse and will not prosecute unless it thinks it will achieve a guilty verdict. This means that thousands of victims have been abandoned.

The CPS is also a political entity, influenced greatly by centre-left ideology. There is no place for politics in the criminal justice system. Scrap it now and get back to what we did before: prosecuting real criminals and protecting their victims. Frank Duffy

Romford, Essex