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<p>Records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide data showing the average
number of days from receipt of the pre-charge case from the police to the decision
to charge. The CPS does not have a record of the number of days from the date a crime
was reported to the police to the date the police refer the case to CPS for a charging
decision.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the average number of days from the
date a case is received from the police to the date the decision to charge was taken
for cases flagged as rape in each year from 2015/16 to 2018/19.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>2015 – 2016</p></td><td><p>2016 – 2017</p></td><td><p>2017 – 2018</p></td><td><p>2018
- 2019</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Average police and CPS time to charge</p></td><td><p>52.70</p></td><td><p>67.28</p></td><td><p>77.98</p></td><td><p>107.68</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>In cases where a file is submitted to the CPS for early investigative advice
or where there is insufficient evidence to bring a charge at the first referral, the
prosecutor will advise the police officer on the further evidence to be gathered.
Once this further evidence has been gathered the officer will return the case to the
CPS in order for a charging decision to be made. With the increase in use of early
investigative advice, the CPS is more often involved at an earlier stage in proceedings,
which has an effect on the average number of consultations and overall timeliness.</p>
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