Labour will let police handle domestic abuse cases without CPS

POLICE would be able to prosecute domestic abusers without consulting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under Labour plans in an attempt to boost record low charging rates.

In a major shake-up of police powers, officers would be able to arrest, lock up and charge domestic abusers without having to be authorised to do so.

Labour believes this would avoid delays with the CPS that can lead to dangerous abusers being released and their victims being put at risk because of limits on time they can be held in custody.

Insiders suggested it could be extended to other offences. Three of Britain’s most senior chief constables have demanded that police rather than prosecutors should be given powers to charge suspects for many more crimes.

They said CPS delays in charging suspects were leading to the guilty walking free. Last year 1.6 million victims dropped out of cases amid record police and court delays.

The proposal is part of a package of measures by Labour’s charging commission, led by Dame Vera Baird, the former victims’ commissioner, which also includes an ex-chief constable, prosecutor and crime commissioner.

It also proposes a statutory duty for chief constables and chief crown prosecutors to better collaborate to bolster file quality and drive up charging rates.

The commission found some officers did not even have contact details for the prosecutors working on their cases and communicated only through a “ping pong” of electronic memos.

The proportion of offences resulting in a charge have collapsed in the past eight years from 15.5 per cent in 2015 to below six per cent last year.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “The catastrophic collapse in the proportion of crimes being charged must be reversed if victims are to have confidence in the system again – and the police and CPS must both play their part in turning things around.”

West Yorkshire Police has been piloting a scheme where officers use emergency powers to charge high-risk domestic abusers if the CPS is unable to authorise such a move within 24 hours before they have to release them.

Dame Vera said it had proved a success with all the charging decisions subsequently ratified by the CPS.

In an online article for The Telegraph, she said the scheme was “making a real difference, safeguarding victims”.

Labour suggested six high-performing police forces could be given the powers before rolling it out nationally.

The new duty would be policed through annual joint inspections by the police watchdog.