Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what training Crown prosecutors receive on victims issues.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed a number of online e-Learning courses which specifically relate to victims’ issues. These are: The Victims’ Code; Victim Personal Statements; Supporting Vulnerable Victims and Witnesses; The Prosecutors’ Pledge; and Special Measures (three courses: Parts 1-3).

In addition, victims’ issues are incorporated into training on prosecuting specific types of offending, such as: domestic violence; child sexual abuse; rape and serious sexual assaults; hate crime; stalking and harassment; human trafficking; and forced marriage and honour-based violence.

The CPS is presently consulting publicly on the draft guidance on prosecutors speaking to victims and witnesses at court, and training will be designed to underpin that guidance once it has been finalised.