THE people who oversee criminal prosecutions throughout Swindon and the rest of Wiltshire have been given a glowing official report.

CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) Wiltshire is basking in the praise of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

The inspectorate says the Wiltshire branch performs well enough to drive up CPS performance nationally.

However, the inspectors also note that its work can be hampered by the far-flung nature of the area it serves.

Among the aspects of Wiltshire CPS's performance to attract the praise of the inspectorate were:

The quality of decision-making, which the report describes as "very sound".

A "consistently good" standard of case presentation at courts.

Proper dealing with case preparation and file management.

The quality of advice offered to the police about ongoing cases.

The placing of systems to enable lawyers and caseworkers to learn lessons as their work progresses.

The overall service, which is described as "consistently professional". The report also notes: "There is much to commend in CPS Wiltshire".

On the negative side, the report highlights far fewer issues, but they include the need to do more to ensure that advice is timely, and the need to include certain projects in the branch's business plan.