Date:
The Director of Public Prosecutions issues the Code for Prosecutors under Section 37 of the Justice Act (NI) 2002.
The Code sets out guidelines on the general principles to be applied in determining in any case whether criminal proceedings should be brought, what charges should be preferred and how prosecutions should be conducted.
It also sets out the standards of conduct that we expect from prosecutors, including external counsel instructed on behalf of the Director.
NOTE: This edition of the Code replaces the previous version published in July 2016. A summary of the changes, highlighting the key amendments by chapter, is provided in the document below.