Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Criminal justice issues need to be addressed
Warnings over reform measures ignored
Over the last few years the criminal justice system has been subject to fundamental change, sadly not all for the better.
A case in point is the court reform measures which included the closure of both sheriff and justice of the peace ( JP) courts throughout Scotland.
Most people will have either personal experience or know of a friend, neighbour or relative who has had experience of the Scottish courts.
Whether appearing as a victim, witness or accused, it can be really daunting to have to attend court, which is compulsory and can have a hugely disruptive effect on people’s work and private life. So any delay in the court cases being called only adds to this disruption, and the stress and anxiety these court users experience.
Yet as the September 2016 figures show, one-in-three court cases in sheriff and JP courts now exceed the 26-week target time frame – a trend which is increasing.
In Coatbridge, the JP court had to cope with the cases transferred as a result of the closure of Cumbernauld JP court.
When the court closures were proposed in 2013, legal experts and witness groups warned that these closures would cause delays and unnecessary inconvenience to victims and witnesses.
It’s a sad indictment of the SNP Government, which has been responsible for the Scottish criminal justice system for the last 10 years, that these warnings have been ignored whilst the predicted delays have become a reality.
Meanwhile, the Crown Office and procurator fiscal service has manfully struggled on despite having to cope with ever decreasing resources, which has put our hardworking fiscals under intolerable pressure.
This, in turn, raises real access to justice issues. Quite simply the COPFS is the bulwark of our justice system and must be supported.
So, as the convenor of the Parliament’s Justice Committee, I’m pleased that the committee’s current inquiry into the COPFS is at last highlighting some of the re-sourcing issues that fiscals and administration staff are now facing.
Evidence from defence lawyers, criminal justice social workers and third sector organisations like Victim Support Scotland and Circle (all of which is available on the Parliament’s website) has been invaluable in highlighting and pin-pointing fundamental issues which need to be addressed.
I hope, therefore, that the Justice Committee’s COPFS Inquiry findings, when complete, will be taken on board to ease the pressure on the COPFS and assure the public has a positive experience, and that there is efficient access to justice in our courts.
On a completely different subject, during a parliament debate on hate crime this week, I raised the recent example of the defacing of the cenotaph in Coatbridge.
There’s certainly a balance to be struck between giving the vandals responsible air time and publicly condemning these kinds of acts.
However, as November 11 approaches, it’s good to put this wanton crime in perspective against the reverence and respect that millions of people throughout the UK show when they attend Remembrance Sunday services every year.
I look forward to paying my respects this Sunday, at the Coatbridge Cenotaph. This is one of countless memorials located in villages and towns nationwide which serve as a constant reminder of the debt of gratitude we owe to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms in present and past conflicts.