Shropshire Star comment: Failure to listen to Shropshire’s voice is depressing
Years ago at a Shropshire planning inquiry into mining proposals, one objector asked about the resulting noise.
“You’ll get used to it,” was the expert’s reply.
Soon we shall be coming up to two years of the controversial courts policy which has seen Shropshire remand prisoners exported to hearings in Kidderminster, at much inconvenience to themselves, solicitors, police, and other professionals from this county.
There have been steady complaints that the system hasn’t been working, it’s inefficient and illogical, and needs to be changed.
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The Ministry of Justice has largely turned a deaf ear. Like that expert witness at that mining inquiry, its view seems to be that Shropshire will get used to it. And if it doesn’t, like it or lump it.
It seems that this was not a change for the benefit of Shropshire, it was a change for the benefit of the Ministry of Justice.
But as we are in the realms of the administration of justice, evidence has to count for something.
Shropshire Defence Advocates Group has worked out what it has all meant in practical terms. While prisoners are not in the forefront of the public’s mind when it comes to the sympathy stakes, everybody in law is innocent until found guilty, and although there are not comparable figures available predating the system, it looks like prisoners are being slapped with an additional sentence.
The group has put a time on it. In the period from April 2, 2018, to September 7, this year, they were held 8,227 hours and 16 minutes. That is not far short of a collective sentence of detention of one year under the “everybody goes to Kidderminster” system.
John McMillan, of the solicitors’ group, says it makes no sense when these cases could be heard at Telford, where the magistrates court is linked to the police station by a tunnel.
It is to be hoped that things will improve in the spring with the introduction of video link hearings.
Even if they do, the failure to listen to Shropshire’s voice is depressing.
