‘Justice at breaking point’ – it’s time to fund the whole system, not just policing, says PCCs.

They warn that “chronic underfunding” of the Ministry of Justice is undermining the entire criminal justice system and putting public safety at risk.

Matthew Barber and Donna Jones says that despite recent funding increases, the Ministry of Justice, which oversees courts, prisons, probation and victim services, remains one of the worst-hit departments.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, day-to-day spending on justice in 2025/26 is still forecast to be 24 per cent lower per person than in 2007/08.

As of September 2024, 73,105 court cases were still awaiting trial – nearly double the backlog in 2019.

In 2024 alone, 16,231 prisoners were released early under the Government’s early release scheme to ease overcrowding.

Victim support services are under pressure from funding cuts and rising operational and staffing costs, while police offender management teams face “growing workloads” as more criminals are diverted into community sentences and rehabilitation pathways, said Mr Barber and Ms Jones.

While policing has received funding uplifts to support recruitment and reduce crime, the PCCs say this alone is not enough to keep communities safe or rebuild public confidence in the justice system.

“The system is buckling. Policing is just one agency,” they said. “We cannot continue to starve the criminal justice system of resources and expect the public to have confidence in it.

“Justice doesn’t end when an offender is arrested. It ends when a victim sees a resolution, and when rehabilitation or punishment has been delivered properly. Right now, that cycle is broken.

“Officers are working tirelessly to arrest dangerous individuals. They are tackling violent crime, child abuse, domestic violence and organised crime, but too many of these cases are falling apart because courts are clogged, evidence is lost, or legal processes fail due to under-resourcing. Victims are left in limbo, and in some cases, they’re denied justice altogether.”

They added: “Releasing thousands of prisoners early and proposing lighter sentences in the community may relieve pressure, but only if community supervision, rehabilitation services and offender management teams are properly funded. If not, we are simply pushing risk into the public domain and onto overstretched police, probation and support services.

“We support meaningful rehabilitation. Not everyone needs to be behind bars, but for those who do, especially serious sexual and violent offenders, prison is essential for public protection. Where rehabilitation is right, it must be resourced and monitored. At the moment, neither is happening to the standard the public expects.

“We cannot continue to treat justice as a patchwork of agencies. It’s a single, interdependent system. When one part breaks down, it affects every other part – and most importantly, it fails the public we all serve.”

And ahead of Wednesday’s spending review, Hertfordshire’s PCC and chief constable have written to the Chancellor urging her to prioritise sustained investment in policing and crime fighting.

It follows concerns in the national media that the Home Office is faring poorly in negotiations and warnings from a number of police chiefs that the Government will not be able to keep its promises on reducing knife crime and violence against women and girls without further investment.

Nationally, chiefs have warned that policing faces a £1.3 billion shortfall in funding.

In Hertfordshire, the PCC and chief constable are concerned that progress being made locally to boost police officer numbers, strengthen neighbourhood policing and tackle local priorities in the new Police and Crime Plan could be put at risk.

PCC Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: “Hertfordshire currently has more police officers than ever before and an ambitious plan to fight crime and make the county safer. It is essential that the spending review doesn’t put this at risk.

“Policing faces significant demands and pressures and now needs a sustained funding boost to deliver on local and national crime fighting priorities. Hertfordshire is one of the lower funded police forces nationally, with the fifth lowest council tax precept.

“Effective policing and crime prevention is a sensible investment. We know in Hertfordshire that living in a safe community is the foundation of good quality of life and economic prosperity. Common sense must prevail on police budgets.

“The last year has seen an unfunded pay award, the hike in National Insurance contributions not fully reimbursed as promised and new proposals to weaken sentences for many crimes which is likely to increase the burden on policing.

“It is essential that a different direction is set out in the spending review.”

Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: “It is essential that policing has the resources needed to deliver on local priorities as well as the Government’s missions to reduce knife crime and violence against women and girls.

“My officers and staff are working tirelessly to keep Hertfordshire safe. They need a fair pay deal, fully funded, which is also essential to allow me to recruit and retain more police officers and PCSOs to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

“I urge the Government to be bold and ensure policing has the funding settlement needed to strengthen the fight against crime nationally and in Hertfordshire”.