Failing officials inflict extra pain on crime victims'

VICTIMS of crime who make complaints to the Crown Prosecution Service are being repeatedly failed, says a damning report.

- Paul Jeeves

Inspectors said half of all written responses were deemed inadequate.

Last night prosecutors were ordered to "get a grip" on the failings, which are contributing to increased anguish for victims of crime.

His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has found letters sent to victims of crime in response to complaints contained errors, despite undergoing two levels of quality assurance checks.

In just under half (49%) of the sample examined, letters sent by the CPS failed to inform the complainant about delays, or did not clearly confirm whether the complaint had been resolved.

In their inspection of the quality and timeliness of complaints handled by the CPS, inspectors uncovered significant regional variations in the quality of the letters and the timeliness of reply.

The worst performing CPS area responded to just 16 per cent of letters on time.