Almost 500 new prosecutors will be recruited in the next six months after concerns that criminal cases were being dropped or delayed because of a shortage of resources.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it had begun a recruitment drive and expects 390 senior and standard prosecutors to start in the courts by next June. Another 40 specialist casework lawyers are being recruited along with 50 legal managers and 20 legal trainees. Last August, The Times reported that the CPS budget was at that stage 30 per cent lower than in 2010. Cuts had forced a reduction in administrative staff and front-line lawyers.
Justice campaigners have also blamed budget cuts and a shortage of lawyers for recent failures by the prosecution to disclose evidence to defence