PRIVATE PROSECUTIONS OF THE POLICE AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THE CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE

That this House notes that at times the police and public servants are prosecuted for perjury and other offences in private prosecutions; believes that having the facility for a private prosecution is an important safeguard when the prosecutors refuse to prosecute; further notes that in a number of cases the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken over such prosecutions merely to prevent the prosecution from progressing; further believes that this raises concerns as to whether this is a misuse of its power to intervene, when the option to have a case struck out for lack of evidence exists to prevent false prosecutions; and calls for the CPS to list all of the prosecutions that it has taken over in the last decade along with details of the employer of the person being prosecuted, what they have done and the reasons for that decision.