{"id":36585,"date":"2019-03-29T12:21:18","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T12:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=36585"},"modified":"2019-03-29T12:21:18","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T12:21:18","slug":"prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/","title":{"rendered":"Prosecutions in Wales fall by 34% &#8211; so what is to blame?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure id=\"attachment_36586\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36586\" style=\"width: 601px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-36586 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"601\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data.jpg 601w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-500x299.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-293x175.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36586\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-36586 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"601\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data.jpg 601w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-500x299.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data-293x175.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px\" \/><\/noscript> Prosecution figures in Wales over the last five years<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nA MOVE towards out-of-court disposal orders may be behind a big fall in prosecutions across Wales, South Wales Police say.<br \/>\nFigures obtained by <em>The Cardiffian <\/em>through a Freedom of Information request show that the number of prosecutions has fallen from 52,812 to 34,267 in Wales over a five-year period.<br \/>\nThe total number of males prosecuted has fallen from 43,256 to 28,618 while female prosecutions have decreased from 8,266 to 5,539 in the same time frame.<br \/>\nThese figures represent a 32-34% decrease across the board.<br \/>\nA lack of police and CPS resources, the need to satisfy justice targets and court closures all cited as possible causes.<br \/>\nSouth Wales Police however say that the implementation of out-of-court disposal orders may be a key factor behind the drop.<br \/>\nSuperintendent Eddie Ough of South Wales Police said: \u201cSouth Wales Police makes use of out-of-court disposals which have an important part to play in the criminal justice system.<br \/>\n\u201cThey allow the police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level, often first-time offending which does not merit prosecution at court, freeing them up to spend more time on frontline duties and tackling serious crime. They can also provide reparation and a prompt resolution for victims.<br \/>\n\u201cWhile out-of-court disposals will not normally be suitable for serious offences, it will not always be in the public interest to prosecute and the police and CPS must have flexibility to act in the best interests of the victim in exceptional circumstances.\u201d<br \/>\nSupt said the issue is prominent further afield than just South Wales.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25669\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25669\" style=\"width: 719px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-25669 \" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"719\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25669 \" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"719\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/IMG_0625-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\" \/><\/noscript> Cardiff Crown Court<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nHe said: \u201cThis is clearly wider than South Wales Police and is a positive movement across all Criminal Justice Service Partners nationally \u2013 hence reflecting a national trend recognising that in appropriate circumstances and where proportionate to the offence, swifter justice outside of the court system can provide significant benefits to victims and a longer term impact on lower level offending.&#8221;<br \/>\nRoxanna Fatemi-Dehaghani, lecturer from Cardiff University\u2019s Centre for Crime, Law and Justice said there may be a number of factors in play when looking at these figures,<br \/>\nShe said:\u00a0 \u201cThe CPS has faced cuts in terms of numbers. I believe that there has been an increase in the number of case workers instead of lawyers so there are fewer experts taking the case for the CPS.\u201d<br \/>\nThe lack of resources available to the CPS has resulted in prioritising cases based on the strength of evidence available to the Crown, with a number of sexual offences cases dropped as a result.<br \/>\nDr Fatemi-Dehaghani said: \u201cCPS lawyers have been instructed to drop weaker cases with regards to sexual offences.<br \/>\n\u201cWith sexual offences, unless they (the CPS) are almost certain the case will end up with a conviction, they are being advised to drop it.<br \/>\n\u201cIt could be because there are simply not enough case workers and lawyers to work on the cases, so they have to prioritise.\u201d<br \/>\nDr Fatemi-Dehaghani said the policing strategy may also be a factor behind the prioritising of cases.<br \/>\nShe said: \u201cThe prioritising may also be due to justice targets for the police. In cases where the police feel prosecution may be unlikely, they tend to steer away from using their resources on cases that are less likely to result in a positive outcome for authorities.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-36591\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"823\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1.jpg 823w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-770x404.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-500x262.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-293x154.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-36591\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"823\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1.jpg 823w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-770x404.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-500x262.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/03\/cps-data1-293x154.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n\u201cUnder the previous Offences Brought to Justice Targets, the police were focusing on fewer serious crimes. Even though the targets have been abolished, it is very possible that decisions are still being made for strategic reasons.<br \/>\n\u201cWe are seeing the police use other methods, such as cautions, or, in some cases, no further action.<br \/>\n\u201cIt is quite difficult to change the culture when people are so used to police targets. People want to see positive outcomes, whether it be a caution or a prosecution,\u201d she added.<br \/>\nA lack of accessibility to the courts has also played a part in the fall. A BBC report last year said 20 magistrates\u2019 courts have closed across Wales since 2010.<br \/>\nThis has had an effect on the number of cases the CPS are able to prosecute, said\u00a0Dr Fatemi-Dehaghani.<br \/>\n\u201cThis undoubtedly means that there is less time in which cases could be scheduled.\u00a0That could have a knock on effect to the CPS looking to prosecute. We have also seen Cardiff and Newport courts share their scheduling of cases.\u201d<br \/>\nThe criminologist said that in some circumstances the police were reluctant to put vulnerable people through the court system, as it is an intimidating environment.<br \/>\n<em>The Cardiffian <\/em>asked the CPS for an explanation as to why the figures have dropped so dramatically.<br \/>\nA spokesperson said: \u201cThe CPS is a demand-led service.\u00a0 Not all reported crimes are referred to us for decisions.<br \/>\n\u201cThose that are referred to us are considered carefully, and any decisions that follow are made on the merits of each individual case, having applied the tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.<br \/>\n\u201cIn some instances we provide early investigative advice in order to strengthen cases and deal with any undermining material early on.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Story updated following comments from South Wales Police<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A MOVE towards out-of-court disposal orders may be behind a big fall in prosecutions across Wales, South Wales Police say. Figures obtained by The Cardiffian through a Freedom of Information request show that the number of prosecutions has fallen from 52,812 to 34,267 in Wales over a five-year period. The total number of males prosecuted has fallen from 43,256 to 28,618 while female prosecutions have decreased from 8,266 to 5,539 in the same time frame. These figures represent a 32-34% [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":24655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[206,16,1158,812,339],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-36585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-cps","tag-crime","tag-police","tag-south-wales","tag-wales"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Prosecutions in Wales fall by 34% - so what is to blame? - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prosecutions in Wales fall by 34% - so what is to blame? - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A MOVE towards out-of-court disposal orders may be behind a big fall in prosecutions across Wales, South Wales Police say. Figures obtained by The Cardiffian through a Freedom of Information request show that the number of prosecutions has fallen from 52,812 to 34,267 in Wales over a five-year period. The total number of males prosecuted has fallen from 43,256 to 28,618 while female prosecutions have decreased from 8,266 to 5,539 in the same time frame. These figures represent a 32-34% [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-29T12:21:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/Cardiff-Crown-Court-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Oliver Lewis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Oliver Lewis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/\",\"name\":\"Prosecutions in Wales fall by 34% - so what is to blame? - The Cardiffian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/Cardiff-Crown-Court-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-29T12:21:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/d464b6ec96945678665f6e24445c87eb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/29\/prosecutions-in-wales-fall-by-34-lack-of-police-and-cps-resources-blamed\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/Cardiff-Crown-Court-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/02\/Cardiff-Crown-Court-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Aaron Bingham was convicted of murder and Nicholas Saleh of manslaughter at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday. 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Figures obtained by The Cardiffian through a Freedom of Information request show that the number of prosecutions has fallen from 52,812 to 34,267 in Wales over a five-year period. The total number of males prosecuted has fallen from 43,256 to 28,618 while female prosecutions have decreased from 8,266 to 5,539 in the same time frame. 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