West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner voices concern over court backlogs in letter to government
West Mercia's police and crime commissioner has written to the government voicing concern over the backlog of court cases and capabilities of video remand hearings.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland, John Campion sought support for the system to be made better for victims and for it to not affect policing.
It comes after Mr Campion expressed concern over the impact Covid-19 had on the court system and the backlog it has created in public statements.
Issues include video remand hearings having a detrimental impact organisationally for West Mercia Police, as the force had to assign operational resources in order to manage the new process, undermining its ability to protect and safeguard local communities.
The impact on policing has been replicated across the country and, as a result, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) announced it wouldn’t be supporting the current approach from December 1.
In light of this, Mr Campion asked for urgent support from the government in order to maintain virtual remand hearings, which have helped create additional capacity in the courts and benefitted victims and witnesses.
In order to mitigate the impact video remand hearings had on policing, Mr Campion has asked for additional funds from the Home Office to meet the operational costs for delivering the service. He has also asked the government to consider longer term solutions involving changes to both legislation and the prisoner escort services contract.
Mr Campion said: “It is my duty, as commissioner, to ensure that the communities of West Mercia receive the best possible policing service and unfortunately the current approach to video remand hearings is undermining that ability.
“I am taking a stand for all those victims and survivors of crime who are facing, on average, 16-weeks wait for trials and for it to also not affect wider communities. Whilst I understand Covid has had an impact on the court system, action needs to be taken to make sure the solution is sustainable and works for all those involved.
“I have called on the government to consider how this situation moves forward, and to ensure that the communities of West Mercia don’t suffer from how it is currently running. I am willing to work with the government and partners to see it is improved.”
