Northern Ireland criminal justice system 'at breaking point'

The criminal justice system in Northern Ireland is at breaking point, a leading voice for victims has warned.

Geraldine Hanna, the victims of crime commissioner designate, said "people talk about the health service being broken, I think our justice system is not far off".

It comes after a report warned that victims were being failed by long delays to cases going through court.

Police and prosecutors both say budget cuts have contributed to the situation.

On average, criminal cases take twice as long to conclude in Northern Ireland compared to England and Wales.

Victims in serious criminal cases - including murder - have told BBC News NI's Spotlight programme that delays have put their lives on hold and traumatised them further.

Some cases are lasting five years and longer. One recent case, involving child cruelty, concluded after eight and a half years.

Speaking to Spotlight, Ms Hanna said: "Anecdotally from victims and police, I have heard of examples being given where the victim has maybe said that delay has impacted on their decision to withdraw (from a case)."

She said she has spoken to victims who told her they would not report a crime again because of their experience in the justice system.

"For me, when the people who are going through it are coming away saying they wouldn't report it again and when we see an increase in that, that for me is a sign that the system is not fit for purpose," she added.

Naomi Long, who was the justice minister until the Stormont executive collapsed last year, said the delays within the justice system were "completely unacceptable".

She said that the necessary resources had not been provided to clear backlogs in the courts after they were closed for three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked about her role as minister in tackling the delays, Ms Long told BBC News NI: "I understand why people think that the justice minister can drive all of this.

"But the courts are independent in terms of the judiciary, the police are independent in terms of their operational work and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is entirely independent."

She added that budgets granted to the Department of Justice had not been adequate to solve the issues.

On Monday a report by the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) warned that victims were being failed by long delays to court cases.

The report said Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) evidence files of "poor quality" continued to contribute to delays and this could have "significant consequences" in terms of slowing down the progression of cases.

When inspectors looked at police practice, they found 54% of files prepared for crown court cases "did not meet, or only partially met, the file build standards".

It was a similar figure for the Public Prosecution Service.

The PSNI and PPS have both told Spotlight they have been working together to address delay.

Both organisations said the increased complexity of cases, which require investigation of phones and computers, and disruption caused by the pandemic have slowed cases down.

Spotlight: The Price of Justice is available to watch on the on BBC iPlayer and will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland at 22:40 BST on Tuesday.