Some 1.59 million individuals were dealt with by the criminal justice system last year, a fall of one per cent, according to the quarterly criminal justice statistics (October 2018-September 2019) published last week
However, police recorded crime has continued to rise. Out of court disposals decreased 4% to 214,000 over the year. These include penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) for offences such as being drunk and disorderly, possession of cannabis and theft of less than £100.
Bar Council Chair Amanda Pinto QC said the ‘bleak’ figures translated to ‘fewer criminals being dealt with by our underfunded and under-resourced system’.
