A pioneering unit which aims to help tackle gang-related violence
in the West Midlands is helping community safety as the Attorney
General KC MP discovered visiting
Birmingham this week.
The Attorney was joined by Solicitor General KC MP as they met staff
at CPS West Midlands, including those who run the Serious
Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit.
The team, the first of its kind, was launched in the West
Midlands in July 2021. The Unit brings together a team of
prosecutors and paralegal staff who have extensive experience of
prosecuting cases involving serious gang-related violence,
serious drug dealing offences, including county lines, as well as
modern slavery and exploitation.
Nearly two years on from its launch, the Law Officers heard from
unit staff about their work helping to protect local communities.
Attorney General KC MP said:
The level of violence in the cases the unit deals with is
appalling and there is no doubt it is a blight on the communities
affected.
This is pioneering work and the expertise of the unit staff is
clear. Two years after its opening, the Unit continues to secure
strong conviction.
Since it launched, the unit has completed 43 cases, tried 140
defendants, and convicted 114. It currently has 134 charged
matters involving 456 defendants.
The conviction rate stands at 79.7 per cent. Out of the 222
defendants prosecuted, 177 defendants resulted in successful
convictions.
110 defendants have been prosecuted in total across different
crime types, securing 92 convictions.
The Unit brings together a team of eight prosecutors and legal
staff who have extensive experience of cases involving
gang-related violence and street-level offending to share their
expertise.
Douglas Mackay, CPS West Midlands Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor,
said:
During the last year we have continued to prosecute some of the
most devastating cases of serious violence that have impacted our
communities.
The experienced prosecutors in this unit continue to build strong
cases to help crack down on county lines gangs, those who carry
dangerous weapons on our streets and gang-related homicides.
“We hope in the coming year to continue our pioneering work to
tackle serious violence across the country.”
Analysis shows that in serious violence cases involving gangs or
organised criminality, drug dealing is frequently a root cause.
This can often be disputes arising from county lines networks or
forced labour in cannabis ‘factories’.
The Birmingham visit was part the Law Officers’ Law Tour. The Law
Officers’ this week visited the Midlands, North and Wales,
focusing on support for victims and local communities.
