Fewer People May Face Justice

Changes made under the Justice Reform Act may lead to fewer prosecutions, the Chief Constable has warned.

Gary Roberts was writing in his final annual report ahead of his retirement at the end of the year.

Looking ahead to future issues, Mr Roberts said the Constabulary will face challenges in implementing several pieces of legislation over the next few years.

He said: ‘A rush of legislative activity prior to the 2021 House of Keys general election saw far-reaching, complex and comprehensive legislation being brought forward to deal with sex offences, domestic abuse, liquor licensing and the administration of the criminal justice system.

‘I rarely use the word “unprecedented” but the scope and extent of the new laws was completely without precedent.’

One of these issues is the Justice Reform Act, parts of which Mr Roberts said are ‘really challenging, as they will fundamentally alter many working practices connected to the preparation of cases for criminal courts’.

He added: ‘There is a real risk that those changes will bring about the opposite of what the last government actually sought, in that fewer people might be brought to justice. Extensive work has been conducted since the laws first took shape, but it is important to highlight the very real difficulties that the IOMC will face in the next year or two.’

Licensing

Mr Roberts also criticised the Licensing and Public Entertainments Act, saying there is a danger that it will ‘in part fail’ because the right balance hasn’t been found around being flexible and maintaining industry standards.