PROSECUTIONS
Annual report OUR FRONTLINE WORK
2014
Table 1 General RSPCA facts and figures for England and Wales
2014 2013 2012
Calls to 24-hour cruelty line 1,299,163 1,327,849 1,163,428
Complaints of alleged cruelty investigated 159,831 153,770 150,833
Welfare improvement advice and notices dispensed 1.1
82,746 76,810 78,090
Cases reported to RSPCA prosecutions department 1.2
1,754 2,174 2,093
Suspects reported to RSPCA prosecutions department 2,918 3,354 3,181
1.1 Non statutory improvement notices in line with section 10 Animal Welfare Act 2006.
1.2 A case may concern one or multiple suspects.
Prosecution statistics 2014
All tables relate to England and Wales
Table 2 Prosecution outcomes 2.1
2014 2013 2012
Defendants convicted (juvenile offenders) 1,029 (10) 1,371 (17) 1,552 (28)
Convictions secured in the magistrates' courts 2,419 3,961 4,168
Convictions following guilty pleas 1,869 3,055 3,118
Convictions following not guilty pleas and trials 550 906 996
Defendants with proceedings wholly discontinued or withdrawn by RSPCA prior to or at trial 2.2
92 148 93
Defendants with all offences dismissed after trial 11 29 33
of which
Defendants dismissed no case to answer 2.3
4 6 9
Prosecution success rate at court hearings 2.4
98.9% 97.9% 97.9%
Prosecution success rate 2.5
90.9% 88.5% 92.5%
Offenders cautioned 2.6
624 729 525
Offences for which cautioned 2.6
882 1,152 729
Suspects reported not cautioned or prosecuted because evidential test and/or public interest tests not met 1,037 1,204 974
2.1 Some outcomes from 2014 will relate to persons reported in
previous years; some persons reported in 2014 will not have outcomes
until 2015 or later. Prosecution outcomes are calculated on the basis of
defendants, not cases.
2.2 Consideration of the evidence and the public interest may
lead to proceedings being discontinued or withdrawn at any time
before a trial. Discontinuance usually occurs in advance of a hearing,
withdrawals usually occur at court.
2.3 Cases in which the defendant pleads not guilty and the prosecution
evidence is heard but proceedings are dismissed by the magistrates
without hearing the defence case.
2.4 Total defendants convicted as a percentage of defendants whose
cases were concluded in court, excluding defendants with proceedings
wholly discontinued or withdrawn by the RSPCA.
2.5 Total defendants convicted as a percentage of all defendants.
2.6 Formal non statutory caution - offence has been committed but
not in the public interest to prosecute.
Operational statistics 2014
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