Pandemic cases backlog ‘will take years to clear’

Scotland’s Justice Secretary has said it will take years for the country’s courts to clear the backlog of criminal and civil cases that built up due to the pandemic

Keith Brown was speaking on a visit to the new £23 million Inverness Justice Centre. Praising staff at the centre, Mr Brown said: “It has been tough, it’s been tough for everybody, And I think as well as just doing their jobs in the justice system, they’ve had to deal with people who are also feeling the pressures of the pandemic as well.

“What I think they have done extremely well is to make sure that people are put at their ease in terms of public safety and health.

“For example, the establishment of remote juries has reassured people serving on juries that they’re doing that in a safe environment.”

Scottish Courts Service chief executive Eric McQueen said: “There’s always been a good level of collaborative working.

“But I think if there’s one good thing that’s come out of the pandemic it’s the way that people have really tried to pull together to find the creative solutions that are required, to maybe test barriers that in a non pandemic world would have taken a long time to get there. But, actually, we’ve moved at some real pace.”