The Crown Prosecution Service has saved ?26m over the past five years by increasing its use of in-house advocates - but done little to improve those advocates? quality, the CPS inspectorate reports today.

In a follow up to its 2009 report on the CPS?s advocacy strategy, Her Majesty's CPS Inspectorate found that the basic competence of in-house advocates appearing regularly in the Crown court has improved, particularly in their ability to cross-examine. But it says the gap in quality between the crown advocates and self-employed counsel has widened since 2009.

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