Institutionally empowered would have been a better phrase. While the PO doesn't have specific legislative powers to bring private prosecutions, they did have a

Institutionally empowered would have been a better phrase. While the PO doesn't have specific legislative powers to bring private prosecutions, they did have a significant amount of institutional holdover from when is was a public body. Specifically, a close working relationship with the police and other bodies with statutory powers that went far beyond any relationship a privately owned body should have. E.g. they were given direct access to the Police National Computer System.