Schade FoI Ref: 6108
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
The Role and the Candidate Profile
As head of the Crown Prosecution Service, the DPP is responsible for ensuring the independent review and prosecution of criminal cases investigated by the police and other agencies in England and Wales. In partnership with other agencies, he or she will work to ensure a clear and common purpose for and across the criminal justice system. He or she makes decisions about the most complex and sensitive cases and advises the police on criminal matters. The DPP reports to the Attorney General, the Government Minister who answers for the CPS in Parliament. The DPP is the statutory head of the Service, its top lawyer and chairs the CPS Board. He or she sets out its vision, is its public face, advises the Law Officers and other Ministers on prosecution policy and criminal justice policy more generally and deals personally with the most difficult and sensitive cases. As professional head he/she also sets legal and professional standards for more than three thousand prosecutors.
The Role
This job offers a unique opportunity to make a major public service contribution in changing the way the criminal justice system works. The combination of the scale of the workload, the level of media interest, the range of cases, and the interaction with Whitehall and the wider criminal justice system make this an extraordinarily interesting challenge for an eminent criminal lawyer.
As Director, you will set the vision for the Crown Prosecution Service, determining legal and professional standards for prosecutors across England and Wales and personally taking decisions in the most serious cases. You will be responsible for ensuring that prosecution decisions are free from bias or discrimination, and that all defendants, victims, witnesses, members of staff and partners are treated fairly and with respect.
You will be the public face of the prosecutorial system, explaining both policy and practice in the media and to Parliament and its Select Committees.
In partnership with other agencies – the bar, the judiciary, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the police – you will work to ensure a clear and common purpose for, and across, the criminal justice system. You will forge strong partnerships with the police, other investigators and prosecuting agencies, encouraging cooperation and knowledge sharing at the highest level and ensuring that the CPS understands and takes into account the priorities and challenges of the police and other agencies. Championing the use of technology across the criminal justice system is an important part of the role.
You will advise the Law Officers and other Ministers on prosecution policy and criminal justice policy more generally, developing innovative ways of dealing with the new and evolving challenges facing law enforcement, such as cyber crime.
These significant and vital tasks sit alongside an equally challenging set of management responsibilities: the leadership of over seven thousand people and their performance, finance and people management systems; a major transformation agenda; and the day-to-day running of a £650 million budget and business. You will maintain performance standards and staff morale against a backdrop of decreasing resources and will continue recent work to shape the culture of the organisation, improve its public standing, strengthen and enhance its pivotal role within the criminal justice system. You will also act as the Accounting Officer, accountable to Parliament for the expenditure of public funds.
In all of your duties, you will be bound by the civil service code, including its values of honesty, impartiality, objectivity and integrity.
The Director is required to take on any additional duties assigned to him or her by the Attorney General exercising his statutory functions.
The successful candidate will also be appointed to the separate post of Director, Revenue and Customs Prosecutions. The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) was merged with the CPS in 2010 but there needs to be legislative changes made before specialist RCPO powers can be exercised by the DPP. Until those changes are made, the DPP must also hold the separate post of Director RCPO. No additional duties are involved.
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions for Senior Civil Servants are under review. Further information on this will be made available to candidates during the recruitment process.
This is a five-year fixed term appointment at Permanent Secretary level which may be extended by agreement between the Attorney General and DPP. For candidates who are already civil servants, the terms of the appointment will depend on your current status.
Pension
Pension benefits are provided under the Civil Service Pension scheme. Full details can be found on the Civil Service Pensions website at:
Location
The post is located in central London.
1