Black staff suffered at CPS, says inquiry

An independent inquiry into employment practices at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has found evidence of institutional racism.

A report, published yesterday by Sylvia Denman CBE, concluded that race discrimination and institutional racism have "operated to the disadvantage of black and Asian staff." The findings follow a series of successful race discrimination cases taken against the CPS and a decision by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) to launch its own formal investigation into the treatment of CPS staff.

In January the CRE agreed to halt this inquiry on condition that the Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith QC, appointed an independent investigator.

Ms Denman said in her report yesterday that "barriers to recruitment of ethnic minority staff undoubtedly operate in some CPS areas". She added that "lack of confidence in internal procedures, fear of victimisation and a record of delay appear to have contributed to race-related grievance not having been resolved internally."

Evidence taken by the Denman inquiry showed that many managers played down the possibility of race discrimination at the CPS. She said: "When confronted by the statistical evidence, their first reaction was to seek an innocent explanation for the under-representation of ethnic minority staff at senior levels." Some staff blamed the victim of the discrimination while one manager believed a tribunal "had got it wrong."

Mr Calvert-Smith responded to the report's findings by saying that it made "uncomfortable reading".

A spokesman for the CRE said its commissioners would be meeting today to consider the report and whether to resume its formal investigation.