It is with pleasure that I introduce the Annual Report for 2007.
I welcome the opportunity to present to the public an account of the work undertaken by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions during the calendar year 2007. The main body of that work is of course the prosecution of criminal cases. Chapter 8 of this report contains detailed statistical information in relation to this area of our work and I hope that you will find it both useful and informative. Again in 2007 the prosecution filework of the Office increased in both volume and complexity, with an increase of 2.2% in the number of cases referred to the Office during the year.
I am pleased to report that the Head of the newly established Prosecution Policy unit was appointed at the end of 2007 and the unit commenced work in January 2008. I had long felt that a Policy unit was needed to concentrate on fundamental long-term policy questions, to manage responses to international and national criminal justice policy proposals on which our views are frequently sought, to address such matters as guidelines and standards for prosecutions, and to develop and implement proposals to assist in ensuring a consistency of approach in prosecutorial decisions as well as ensuring a consistency of approach by barristers and solicitors presenting cases on behalf of the Office. The advent of the new unit is a most welcome development.
One of the most significant developments during 2007 was the completion of an examination of the current policy of the Office not to give reasons for prosecutorial decisions to victims of crime or the families of deceased victims. It is my view that if a method of giving reasons to victims without doing injustice to others could be devised then,in the interests of fairness to victims, we should attempt to do so. The examination included a detailed analysis of the policies of prosecution services in other jurisdictions;Irish jurisprudence on decision-making; and the jurisprudence of the european Court of Human Rights. A Discussion Paper outlining the analysis was completed at the end of 2007 and published in January 2008 with a view to stimulating debate and initiating a wide ranging public consultation process. At time of writing, my Office is considering all submissions received and views expressed during the consultation process. I hope to be in a position to come to a final conclusion on the matter in the very near future.
Accommodation continues to pose significant problems for our Office. We remain located in two buildings and are due to occupy a third towards the end of 2008, as we await relocation to a single site. These physical divisions are highly problematic for integration and development, but also in practical terms,in that services must be duplicated with the
inevitable consequence that we cannot operate with optimum efficiency. However, we look forward in the longer term to our planned move to a single site adjacent to the new criminal court complex currently under construction in Parkgate Street.
Finally, I would like to thank the staff of the Office for their hard work this year, and for their dedication and commitment to the delivery of a prosecution service that is independent, fair and effective. I thank the state solicitors and the counsel who act on my behalf, who present the public face of the Office and represent it with a high degree of professionalism. I must also thank the Gardaí and other investigative agencies with whom we work for the invaluable work they do.
James Hamilton
Director of Public Prosecutions
June 2008