The Deputy Police Crime Commissioner has visited Westminster to speak with the Ministry of Justice about what can be done to help victims.

Deputy PCC Andy Pratt MBE met with James Cartlidge MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice to discuss criminal justice in the county and what can be done to improve the process for victims.

As a result of more than a decade of cuts to the justice system by successive Conservative Governments, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, Lancashire has seen a backlog which has resulted in cases taking much longer to reach court and victims and their families enduring long wait times to receive justice.

Andy Pratt MBE said: "I welcomed the opportunity to meet with James Cartlidge MP and to raise some of the issues we face here in Lancashire.

"Our main concern is ongoing court delays and the impact these have, not only on victims, witnesses and their families, but also the professionals that support them through the court process such as Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence Advisers we commission locally.

"We spoke about the work that is needed to ensure that we have more judges to tackle local backlogs and to improve the availability of barristers.

"While the backlog we have in Lancashire is already reducing, I am pleased to hear that the Ministry of Justice is planning further investments in this area and I have invited James Cartlidge MP to visit Lancashire and meet with local criminal justice agencies to discuss this further.”