I am struggling to believe it. A piece of total common sense from the tories!
'Police could be given back the power to decide whether to charge an offender under reforms announced by the Tories yesterday. David Davis said he would restore discretion for sergeants to take action on summary offences. He claimed it would save up to a million hours of police time a year and allow officers back on the beat by cutting paperwork. The Shadow Home Secretary said: "We will restore government's trust in the professional police officer and allow officers to refocus on fighting crime." He said police should be allow to decide whether a prosecution should go ahead on crimes usually heard in a magistrates' court.
The 2003 Criminal Justice Act stripped police of their discretion and left it to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to charge. '
This would remove an entire idiotic layer from the system. The Crown Prosecution Service should only have a function with indictable or 'either way' [ie. more serious] offences.
Of course, it is all just too sensible. It is pie-in-the-sky. Reasons will be found in power for this eminently sensible suggestion to be be ultimately rejected by any future tory government.
'Police could be given back the power to decide whether to charge an offender under reforms announced by the Tories yesterday. David Davis said he would restore discretion for sergeants to take action on summary offences. He claimed it would save up to a million hours of police time a year and allow officers back on the beat by cutting paperwork. The Shadow Home Secretary said: "We will restore government's trust in the professional police officer and allow officers to refocus on fighting crime." He said police should be allow to decide whether a prosecution should go ahead on crimes usually heard in a magistrates' court.
The 2003 Criminal Justice Act stripped police of their discretion and left it to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to charge. '
This would remove an entire idiotic layer from the system. The Crown Prosecution Service should only have a function with indictable or 'either way' [ie. more serious] offences.
Of course, it is all just too sensible. It is pie-in-the-sky. Reasons will be found in power for this eminently sensible suggestion to be be ultimately rejected by any future tory government.
