Hampshire police boss hits out at striking lawyers amid 'large backlog of cases' from pandemic

Donna Jones, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has released a statement highlighting the impact the barristers’ strike will have on victims.

Courts have seen several days of disruption over lawyer walkouts in recent weeks, but members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have today voted on staging an indefinite, uninterrupted strike in England and Wales beginning on September 5.

It comes as part of an ongoing row with the government over pay and legal aid cuts.

Donna Jones says the impact of the strike action from July means trials for ‘some of the worst crimes’ have been ‘delayed’ and further strike action will double down on this impact.

The CBA is asking for a 25 per cent rise in pay for legal aid work when they represent defendants who cannot afford lawyers.

She said: ‘Courts in England and Wales are already dealing with a large backlog of cases due to the pandemic, and now this strike action will present further impacts on victims waiting to receive justice.

‘Any further delays could result in victims completely disengaging from the process which could mean potentially dangerous people will walk free without ever being put before a court.’

Mark Fenhalls QC, chairman of the Bar Council, said: ‘It is a matter of deep regret to all of us that barristers have been driven as a last resort to take this further action. Members of the criminal Bar have been feeling mistreated, undervalued and overwhelmed for a decade or more.’