The Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk (PCC) has spoken of his concern about the impact of strike action by barristers on the victims of crime and the workload of police officers in the county.
Tim Passmore said a backlog of court cases was another factor that was affecting the judicial system and he called for a short-term solution and a long-term plan to ensure the system was ‘fit for purpose’ in years to come.
Barristers began an indefinite, uninterrupted walkout on Monday, in a dispute with the Government over pay, working conditions and legal aid funding.
The Criminal Bar Association, which represents barristers, is calling for a 25% rise in pay for legal aid work, which involves representing defendants who could not otherwise afford lawyers.
He added: “I appreciate this is a national problem, but my concern is the impact the backlog and more recently the strikes, are having on victims of crime and the workload of officers in Suffolk.
“We need a short-term solution for these delays and a long-term plan to ensure the judicial system is fit for purpose for years to come.
“Justice delayed is justice denied so collectively we really do need to do far better to support victims, and from my perspective as PCC, to reduce the impact on valuable policing resources.”
Figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have revealed that between January and March this year, there were falls in outstanding case volumes at magistrates and crown courts, but an increase in outstanding cases that had been open for a year or more.
An MoJ spokesperson said: “Suffolk's reoffending rate has fallen to one of the lowest in the country over the last decade. We are investing £550 million nationally to drive this down further.”
“We have already deployed a range of measures to reduce court backlogs – including unlimited sitting days, Nightingale courts and increased magistrate sentencing powers.
“However, our efforts to reduce the backlog and speed up justice for victims are being impacted by the Criminal Bar Association’s ongoing strike action, which is going ahead despite us increasing criminal barristers’ fees by 15 per cent.”
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