Preferred candidate for HMCPSI Chief Inspector announced

Anthony Rogers has been named as the preferred candidate to be the next Chief Inspector of His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).

The Attorney General Lord Hermer KC has today announced that Anthony Rogers is the government’s preferred candidate for the role of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of HMCPSI.

Anthony Rogers has been selected following a fair and open assessment process conducted in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

As part of the next stage in the recruitment process, Anthony Rogers will appear before the Justice Select Committee on 28 January 2025 for a pre-appointment hearing.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of HMCPSI is appointed by the Attorney General. This is a public appointment for a fixed term and the Chief Inspector acts independently of the Attorney General and of government.

HMCPSI has a statutory duty to inspect the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office and report to the Law Officers, who superintends both those organisations. HMCPSI’s reports play an important role in effective superintendence of CPS and SFO, as well as improving the performance of the organisations HMCPSI inspects, strengthening the criminal justice system, and increasing public trust. HMCPSI is also able to inspect other organisations if invited to do so.

The operational relationship between the Attorney General and the Chief Inspector is set out in a protocol agreed between the Law Officers and the Chief Inspector.

Since February 2024, Anthony Rogers has been Interim HM Chief Inspector of HMCPSI, following the departure of the previous Chief Inspector. He was Deputy Chief Inspector of HMCPSI between April 2018 and February 2024, during which period he was seconded for six months to the Independent Review of the SFO’s handling of the Unaoil Case, giving evidence to the Justice Select Committee.