DID you know that 134,389 people were successfully prosecuted in London in 2009; and 3,410 of those people committed crimes in Ealing?
That's a lot of people who have broken the law and have been brought to justice by the Crown Prosecution Service to face the consequences of their actions.
Crime affects everyone in a local community and I know that it is a big concern for so many of you. My teams in Ealing and across London are working with the police, the courts and our other criminal justice partners to provide the best service we can.
However, you may have seen some coverage lately about CPS London, following an inspection of the work we do. The report highlighted a number of areas we need to improve and we are already putting in place plans to do just that.
The report confirmed what we had already found that our casework performance must improve. We need to get cases prepared on time so that when we get to court, everything is ready for the hearing to proceed. To do that we are moving more staff from central roles out to the front line, we are recruiting more lawyers and we are training more staff to do the preparation work needed for cases coming to court.
We want to do more to help you if you have to attend court as a victim or a witness to a crime. If appropriate we can apply to the court for special measures, such as screens around the witness box so you cannot be seen.
Making those applications is a priority task for us.
The most serious crimes, such as murders, are dealt with by our Complex Casework Unit, which is based in central London. This unit has been rated as 'good' by the inspectorate and the work being done to deal with the most serious offenders is what we want to replicate in every single borough.
These are not just words and responses to the inspection. These are actions which are being put in place right now to ensure that we deliver the sort of service that the people of Ealing deserve.
We expect to see results soon and we hope you will too.
