Shoplifting has soared to epidemic levels, with reports of 17,000 incidents a day. Attacks on shopkeepers have risen by 50 per cent, making it one of the most dangerous professions in the country. Meanwhile, violence against women and girls has escalated so drastically that police have declared it a “national emergency”.
And yet, criminals seemingly walk free.
This week alone, teenagers rampaged through a primary school party wielding knives, and thugs clashed with machetes on a Tube station platform, terrifying commuters. This is the bleak reality we face: crime spiralling out of control while the criminal justice system collapses under the weight of its own dysfunction.
A justice system in freefall
It’s no exaggeration to say that Britain’s courts are in meltdown. Criminal trials are now being scheduled for as late as November 2028—an appalling delay that leaves victims, witnesses, and defendants waiting years for justice. Many cases never even make it to trial.
Last year alone, over 4,500 criminal prosecutions were abandoned because key witnesses either failed to show up or withdrew their support. And who can blame them? A guilty defendant knows that by pushing their case to trial, they may never have to face justice at all. After years of waiting, cases fall apart. Evidence goes missing. Witnesses lose faith.
It’s easy to see why criminals no longer fear the consequences of their actions.
Underfunded, overburdened, and ignored
For decades, successive governments have failed to treat justice as a core pillar of society, instead prioritising spending on education and the NHS while allowing the justice system to wither on the vine.
Yesterday’s Spring Statement from Chancellor Rachel Reeves offered little in the way of solutions. The justice system is crying out for investment, but what it got was lukewarm rhetoric.
Mark Fenhalls KC, Chair of the Bar Council, put it bluntly:
“Although the Spring Statement didn’t deliver cuts, it didn’t deliver a proper investment plan in our justice system either. A fair and effective justice system requires greater funding and bold decisions.”
There was no bold decision. No emergency funding. Just more of the same managed decline.
Radical reform or more of the same?
If Reeves and Labour fail to act, they may instead push through radical reforms that could change the justice system forever.
Sir Brian Leveson is currently leading a “once-in-a-generation” review of the courts, which could lead to the scrapping of jury trials for certain crimes. Meanwhile, a separate sentencing review is under way, raising concerns that fewer criminals will end up in prison.
The Ministry of Justice recently revealed that Crown Court backlogs could hit 100,000 cases by 2029. That’s why Labour is preparing the public for major changes—because without action, the crisis will spiral beyond control.
But what form will those changes take?
The Conservatives have already begun their attack: accusing Labour of being “soft on crime” and letting criminals walk free. Yet they are just as guilty—after all, they slashed police budgets, underfunded courts, and oversaw the managed decline of the justice system for 14 years.
Neither party has an answer to the fundamental issue: justice in Britain is treated as an afterthought.
The reality of a broken system
Even if Labour radically reforms the justice system, those changes cannot work without investment.
If fewer criminals are sent to prison, the burden will fall on probation and rehabilitation services, which have already been hollowed out by budget cuts. Meanwhile, Legal Aid—once the backbone of a fair justice system—has been cut to the bone.
The results are catastrophic:
- In 2019, just 154 Crown Court trials were abandoned due to a lack of barristers.
- Last year, that number soared to 2,478—a 1,500% increase.
- 30% of barristers handling rape and sexual offence cases are now considering quitting because of unsustainable pay.
These numbers paint a damning picture: lawyers are leaving in droves, barristers are underpaid, and cases are collapsing at an unprecedented rate.
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And yet, nothing changes.
Where is the outrage?
Crime is rising. Criminals no longer fear the law. Victims wait years for justice—if they get it at all. And yet, where is the national outrage?
If the government had closed half of Britain’s hospitals, slashed doctors’ pay, and allowed NHS waiting lists to spiral out of control, the public would be furious.
But the same thing is happening to our justice system, and no one seems to care.
Next time you hear about a brazen mugging, a daylight stabbing, or a spate of shoplifting, ask yourself:
- Is crime getting worse because punishments are not harsh enough?
- Or is it because criminals know the system is broken and they will likely never face justice?
Until justice is treated as fundamental to a functioning society, rather than an optional extra, crime in Britain will only get worse.
And the criminals? They’ll be laughing all the way to the getaway car.
