Rough justice

Anybody unfortunate enough to find themselves tasked with attending their local courthouse cannot fail to be shocked by the constant delays, inefficiency and lack of professionalism that is the hallmark of a typical day in the crazy world of criminal justice.

So it is no real surprise to hear the furious reaction of Conservative MP Philip Davies following a day spent observing Bingley Court in action. The tale he tells of the disgraceful lack of preparedness of highly-paid CPS lawyers is hardly an isolated one – though one is just as likely to encounter incompetence from a legal aid defence lawyer, a clerk of the court or, indeed, the magistrates themselves.

Such is life in the lower echelons of our legal system – utterly unacceptable, yet seemingly unchanging.

The issue Mr Davies raises over the competence of the CPS has implications which stretch far beyond the echelons of a courthouse in a small market town.

As he rightly points out, such poor standards of professionalism from prosecutors are sadly indicative of a system which for far too long has failed to put the victim at the centre of the search for justice.

Kenneth Clarke, the under-fire Justice Secretary, correctly says that simply locking up more and more people is neither a smart nor a cost-effective way of dealing with crime.

But his ill-judged attempt to rectify the situation by slashing sentencing still further – now apparently dropped at the behest of the Prime Minister – showed just how detached he is becoming from the victims of crime that he has been appointed to serve.

Until a fresh approach is taken at the very top, it is these very same victims looking on at mismanaged local courtrooms up and down the country who will continue to be betrayed.