Charge
The point at which a person is formally accused of a crime.
A charge is the formal accusation. The police can charge for some offences; for others the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides. The alternative is a written summons (in MoJ data, “laying of information”).
MoJ timeliness figures measure from the date of the offence to charge, and from charge to the first court hearing.
Official sources
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The official sources above are the authority.
See also
How long justice takes · Cps areas · How a case moves from charge to sentence · All explainers
