The Bar Council respond to promised funding to speed up rape prosecutions
The Bar Council respond to the Conservative promise of £15million to speed up prosecutions for rape should they win the General Election.
On the news that the Conservatives have promised £15million to speed up prosecutions for rape should they win the General Election, Richard Atkins QC, Chair of the Bar Council, which represents all barristers in England and Wales, said:
“Any promised investment into our massively underfunded criminal justice system is to be welcomed. I question though whether targeting one particular type of crime is actually sustainable. The reality is that more police officers are required to investigate all crimes. More Crown Prosecution Service lawyers and staff are required to make charging decisions and to put the cases together. More courts and court rooms need to be open to cut the backlog of cases that are currently clogging up the system and leading to cases being heard many months or years after the alleged offence was committed. There also needs to be better care of all victims of crime.”
