London - The British Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, last night gave his first public comments on proposals to change radically his country's legal system.
Lord Goldsmith backed Lord Justice Auld's recommendation in his recent report that the Crown Prosecution Service should be involved with police investigations at an earlier stage.
"If Auld is right, then the recommendation provides a prospect of better-prepared cases and more appropriate charges when cases first enter the system," said Lord Goldsmith, who took up his post after the June election.
"In large and complex cases where an investigation that goes wrong may cost millions of pounds, there is an argument for involvement by the CPS at an even earlier stage, when advice is needed on the key strategic decisions that have to be made."