Herts police and crime commissioner David Lloyd has voiced his concern at the 'bottleneck' that been caused by 'closed' courts – amid fears victims of some crimes will not wait to give evidence.

Speaking at a meeting of the county council's community safety and waste management cabinet panel on Thursday, Mr Lloyd said he was concerned that courts 'for the most part, have been closed'.

And he said it was 'not good enough' that victims were now waiting for two years or more to obtain justice through the courts.

"I am concerned the COVID impact has meant courts – for the most part – have been closed," he said.

"Certainly there's a very very big bottleneck which means cases are not getting through the courts. That's a real concern for me. Justice needs to be swift.

"It is just not good enough if we have to wait more than two years to get a day in court and that is what is now happening."

Mr Lloyd said that while he was concerned for all victims of crime, he was particularly concerned about the impact on victims of 'intimate crime'.

He highlighted those who had been raped, who – he said – often reported the trial process as being 'more traumatic' than the crime.

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And he suggested a delay of up to three years may deter them from going through the justice system.

He stressed that there was support available, but he said: "I think the best support we can give is to make sure the court's open".

Mr Lloyd acknowledged the Nightingale courts that have been set up, including a court in a county council building near Hitchin, in Stevenage

But he said this was not used for criminal cases and that it was the criminal courts that needed to be opened up.

And he said he would be appearing before the Justice Select Committee, where he would continue to make the same case.