ABSTRACT
Until 1986, England was one of only a few countries that allowed the police to prosecute rather than hand over this task to a State agency like the district attorney in the United States or the prosecutor fiscal in Scotland (an office established in the fifteenth century). The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was established by the Prosecution of Offences Act (POA) 1985 and the police now play no part in prosecutions beyond the stage of charging the suspect.
