Former police chief says court backlog lies behind spate of violent crime

Altrincham and subsequently died of his injuries at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Heavyweight boxer Mr Fury said his cousin had been “stabbed in the neck” and called for an end to knife crime and “higher sentencing” for offenders on Sunday in a social media post branding those who carry knives as “idiots”.

Speaking on Monday, ex-GMP chief Sir Peter Fahy said the court backlog has led to offenders spending more time on bail and reoffending.

Sir Peter told Sky News: “The main issue is the huge backlog… There is a backlog of 58,000 cases and if you’re dealing with young criminals, crucially you get them into court quickly.

“If they are out on bail, the chances are that they’re going to commit more crime which puts more work back into the system and creates more victims.”

According to figures published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Crown Court backlog increased for the third consecutive month in June, reaching 58,973 cases.

Sir Peter added: “The fact is that we saw a big reduction in knife crime and violence in general during the pandemic and I think the police is still trying to work out what has happened since then.

“Have we seen a real increase in violent crime or are we just coming to a new normal?”

Writing on Instagram on Sunday, Mr Fury said: “My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck this is becoming ridiculous … idiots carry knives. This needs to stop.”

He added: “Asap, UK Government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, it’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until [it’s] 1 of your own.

“Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick enjoy every moment.”

But Sir Peter said tougher sentences may not solve the problem because offenders do not consider the length of their punishment while committing a stabbing.

He said: “Absolutely harsher sentences have their part to play, but often when you’re talking about a random offence like knife crime where somebody chooses suddenly to pull out a knife, and they stab someone in the artery causing them to die, really it’s not in their mind how long of a prison sentence [they are] going to get.

“The crucial thing is that the police are out there to arrest people, they get into the court system quickly and adequate measures are put in place not only to control that person but to try and rehabilitate them.

“I think it’s that lack of capacity in the court system which will be worrying police most.”

A 17-year-old boy with stab wounds who was found injured in the same incident remains in hospital in a serious but non-life threatening condition.

GMP said two men aged 21 and 20 have been arrested – one on suspicion of murder and the other on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and murder.

Last week. London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggested a spate of violent crime in the capital was due to longer days, school holidays and summer heatwaves.

The Mayor of London was speaking after six homicides had been reported in the capital in less than a week.

“If you carry a knife, you will be much more likely to be a victim of knife crime,” said Sir Peter.

“It all comes back to young people not feeling safe on the street, the level of gang activity, the impact of criminal gangs, the impact of County Lines drug trade.”

Sir Peter said stop and search has its place and is most useful in areas where there are tensions between street gangs.

“Stop and search works when you’re talking about street gangs but at the same time police need to target violent people, they need to target the drug trade,” he said.

“One thing that ironically does happen is when the police take firm action and arrest some people behind drugs gangs, that creates a bit of a void and other people may use violence to try to fight their way to be the next ‘Mr Big’.”