Greater Manchester's Chief Constable Stephen Watson has said police should be given the power to charge suspects in most criminal cases. Mr Watson is one of three police chiefs calling for the controversial change, which they say would help fix the crisis in the criminal justice system.
They say police should be able to authorise charges in the majority of cases, including burglary, robbery, theft, domestic abuse, knife crime and violent crime. Currently the Crown Prosecution Service has sole power to authorise charges, except in some minor cases.
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