A relevant prosecutor may institute criminal proceedings against a person by issuing a document (a "written charge") which charges the person with an offence.
Where a relevant prosecutor issues a written charge, it must at the same time issue—
A single justice procedure notice may be issued only if—
A requisition is a document which requires the person on whom it is served to appear before a magistrates' court to answer the written charge.
A single justice procedure notice is a document which requires the person on whom it is served to serve on the designated officer for a magistrates' court specified in the notice a written notification stating—
Subsection (2D) applies if—
The single justice procedure notice must also explain—
The Lord Chancellor may by order make provision about the matters that are to be taken into account by a relevant prosecutor before deciding as mentioned in subsection (2C)(b).
Where a relevant prosecutor issues a written charge and a requisition, the written charge and requisition must be served on the person concerned, and a copy of both must be served on the court named in the requisition.
Where a relevant prosecutor issues a written charge and a single justice procedure notice, the written charge and notice must be served on the person concerned, and a copy of both must be served on the designated officer specified in the notice.
If a single justice procedure notice is served on a person, the relevant prosecutor must—
The written notification required by a single justice procedure notice may be served by the legal representative of the person charged on the person's behalf.
A relevant prosecutor authorised to issue a requisition is not to have the power to lay an information for the purpose of obtaining the issue of a summons under section 1 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43).
In this section "relevant prosecutor" means—
An order under subsection (5)(h) specifying a person for the purposes of this section must also specify whether that person and a person authorised by that person to institute criminal proceedings—
In subsection (5) "police force" has the meaning given by section 3(3) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (c. 23).