Catalogue description Records created or inherited by the Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government established under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, which created the CPS under the direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions, consisting of a merger of his old department with the existing police prosecution departments. It started operating in 1986.

The CPS is responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales, with the exception of cases conducted by the Serious Fraud Office and certain minor offences. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who works under the superintendence of the Attorney General and a chief executive. The service comprises a headquarters and individual areas which correspond to a police area in England and Wales, each of which is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor and an Area Business Manager.