The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has allocated close to £52 million over the past three years towards data-focused training, technology platforms, and infrastructure as part of its broader digital transformation efforts.
Despite this significant investment, internal data obtained through a Freedom of Information request and analysed by Parliament’s Think Tank reveals that the organisation has simultaneously halved its dedicated data staff across the government’s legal sector.
From 2022 to 2025, the CPS prioritized integrating data training into its digital strategies, reaching over 1,000 employees across the UK. Staff members participated in courses covering data analytics, governance, visualization, and emerging technologies such as SQL for Data Analysis and AI-driven tools like Excel with CoPilot. In the 2024-25 financial year alone, more than 30 different courses were available, spanning topics like Apache Spark, Data Engineering, and Data Strategy, mostly delivered through centrally funded government learning platforms with minimal direct costs.
However, this emphasis on training contrasts sharply with a reduction in the organisation’s dedicated data personnel, which dropped from 20 staff members in 2023 to just 10 in 2025. Correspondingly, the total salary expenditure for these roles decreased from £647,265 to £318,050, indicating a significant downsizing of the CPS’s data team despite ongoing investments.
The wider government sector has also increased its focus on workforce digital skills. The Government Legal Department (GLD), for example, expanded its training budget from £918 in 2022 to £22,744 in 2025, offering courses including Introduction to AI, Cybersecurity, and Power BI Training to bolster digital and data capabilities.
“Effective data management is crucial for the justice system, impacting case management, performance reporting, and operational decision-making. While the CPS’s investment in training is commendable, sustainable success depends on establishing strong data management frameworks, interoperability across systems, and clear accountability. True readiness requires a workforce that is not only data-literate but also equipped with deep, ongoing expertise in data quality and governance,” said Stuart Harvey, CEO of Datactics.
