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<p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance urges caution about the use of the
word ‘gang’, explaining how it can properly be deployed in a prosecution, where substantiated
by the evidence and relevant to a matter in issue in the proceedings. In drafting
the guidance, the CPS assessed the potential effect of using ‘gang’ in proceedings
and identified that the term is used in legislation and by criminal justice partners.
The guidance clearly sets out that, given the negative connotations of the term ‘gang’,
prosecutors should not refer to a group as a ‘gang’ in proceedings unless there is
evidence to support the assertion. However, prosecutors must also ensure that where
there is admissible evidence of gang membership, the case is put on a basis that reflects
the often very serious gravity of the offending.</p>
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