Prosecution of Offences Act 1985

3 Functions of the Director. E+W

(1) The Director shall discharge his functions under this or any other enactment under the superintendence of the Attorney General.

(2) It shall be the duty of the Director [F1 , subject to any provisions contained in the Criminal Justice Act 1987] —

(a) to take over the conduct of all criminal proceedings, other than specified proceedings, instituted on behalf of a police force (whether by a member of that force or by any other person);

(b) to institute and have the conduct of criminal proceedings in any case where it appears to him that—

(i) the importance or difficulty of the case makes it appropriate that proceedings should be instituted by him; or

(ii) it is otherwise appropriate for proceedings to be instituted by him;

(c) to take over the conduct of all binding over proceedings instituted on behalf of a police force (whether by a member of that force or by any other person);

(d) to take over the conduct of all proceedings begun by summons issued under section 3 of the M1 Obscene Publications Act 1959 (forfeiture of obscene articles);

(e) to give, to such extent as he considers appropriate, advice to police forces on all matters relating to criminal offences;

(f) to appear for the prosecution, when directed by the court to do so, on any appeal under—

(i) section 1 of the M2 Administration of Justice Act 1960 (appeal from the High Court in criminal cases);

(ii) Part I or Part II of the M3 Criminal Appeal Act 1968 (appeals from the Crown Court to the criminal division of the Court of Appeal and thence to the House of Lords); or

(iii) section 108 of the M4 Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 (right of appeal to Crown Court) as it applies, by virtue of subsection (5) of section 12 of the M5 Contempt of Court Act 1981, to orders made under section 12 (contempt of magistrates’ courts); and

(g) to discharge such other functions as may from time to time be assigned to him by the Attorney General in pursuance of this paragraph.

(3) In this section—

• “the court ” means—

(a) in the case of an appeal to or from the criminal division of the Court of Appeal, that division;

(b) in the case of an appeal from a Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench Division, the Divisional Court; and

(c) in the case of an appeal against an order of a magistrates’ court, the Crown Court;

• “police force ” means any police force maintained by a police authority under the M6 Police Act 1964 and any other body of constables for the time being specified by order made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section; and

• “specified proceedings ” means proceedings which fall within any category for the time being specified by order made by the Attorney General for the purposes of this section.

(4) The power to make orders under subsection (3) above shall be exercisable by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words inserted by Criminal Justice Act 1987 (c. 38, SIF 39:1), s. 15, Sch. 2 para. 13

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 3(2) excluded by Criminal Justice Act 1987 (c. 38, SIF 39:1), s. 5(1)

C2 S. 3(2)(a)–(d) restricted by S.I. 1986/1029, art. 5

Marginal Citations

M1 1959 c. 66.

M2 1960 c. 65.

M3 1968 c. 19.

M4 1980 c. 43.

M5 1981 c. 49.

M6 1964 c. 48.