Victims of crime in Norfolk have said they feel they are being failed by the criminal justice system that is putting their hopes of justice on hold, the county's police boss has said.
Trials being delayed "time and again" is among the key concerns highlighted to Sarah Taylor, Norfolk's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), as part of her bid to find out the policing concerns in the county.
Other key fears are that young people are frequently "falling through safety nets" and that a lack of opportunities is leading to a rise in antisocial behaviour.
Her comments follow the launch of her Police and Crime Plan consultation that aims to find out what matters most to people living in Norfolk about policing and crime, which closes on Friday, November 2.
Ms Taylor, who has been meeting with people across the county for the last two months, said: "A lot of people have told me about the problems they have faced with the wider criminal justice system.
"Victims of crime have been asking for help and have said they feel they are being failed.
"This is due to problems like long waits for trials that are rescheduled time and time again."
Norfolk's court system has faced a huge backlog in recent years, with recent figures showing there were nearly 1,000 outstanding cases at Norwich Crown Court - an issue that is reflected nationally, with the backlog doubling since the pandemic.
The wellbeing of young people is another frequent issue that has been raised to Ms Taylor, which follows services such as youth groups being cut due to a lack of funding.
"I have heard from lots of frontline staff like teachers that there are gaps in safety nets for children," she said.
"People are also worried for the wellbeing of young people. While antisocial behaviour is unacceptable, many people have said they fear there is precious little else to do."
The PCC is eager to hear more of people's views on crime and policing in Norfolk.
The results will help inform the policing priorities for the county.
You can take part in the consultation by visiting the PCC's website - norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/police-and-crime-plan/police-and-crime-plan-202529-consultation.
Ms Taylor has already proposed a number of key areas to address as part of the police and crime plan.
These are:
- Focus on the prevention of crime
- Restoring trust and confidence in policing across Norfolk
- Improving road safety
- Tackling extremism and community tensions
- Making Norfolk streets safer
- Effective Criminal Justice System
- Support for victims
- Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
- Improving responses to rural crime
- Organised crime and criminal exploitation
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