A key aspect of the role of the High Sheriff is to engage with the Justice system and accordingly I have visited the Coroners Court in Birmingham and the regional office of the Crown Prosecution Service.
There are 3 Coroners Courts serving the County of the West Midlands in Birmingham, Coventry and Oldbury. Their role is to investigate deaths which may have arisen from unnatural causes and they receive over 4,000 referrals a year, primarily from the emergency services, the NHS and HSE. The Coroner then undertakes an inquest to confirm who has died and where, when and how they passed away. However they do not consider why someone has died and there are no criminal or civil proceedings held within the Coroners Court. Inquests are required to be completed within 6 months.
The CPS takes criminals to court and prosecutes criminal cases which have been investigated by the Police. Critically the CPS is independent of the Police and the Government in making its decisions as to which cases should go to court and which charges should be brought. The CPS follows the Code for Crown Proescutors which means that in order to bring a case, the CPS must be satisfied that there is enough evidence to give a realistic chance of conviction and that prosecuting is in the public interest.
The CPS operates on a regional basis and there are over 500 people working in the region of the West Midlands which includes West Mercia, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.