Sir, Dealing with juveniles is a time-consuming, demoralising and often tortuous process for a police officer. Home Office targets for quickly dealing with young offenders mean that the investigatory process is often rushed and prosecution files may not achieve the standard the CPS expects. At night, parents may not be able to attend custody because of their own intoxication, and social services often cannot supply an “appropriate adult” to facilitate an interview. The investigatory process therefore stalls, which is frustrating for the victim. Knowing that he or she will be tied up dealing with the prisoner for four or five hours does little to persuade a police officer that he should arrest the youth found carrying a knife at 1am. Where are the police officers one used to see pounding the beat? Probably queuing for CPS “pre-charge advice” in custody.

The problem of knife crime is complicated, and the reply must be multi-faceted. But the police process could be streamlined by reviewing the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice in relation to detention and by speeding up the custody process. The police seem to be hidebound by time constraints which simply do not apply to the courts.

Jon Mack

Southampton

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