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Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna has said that while there are some positives to be taken from PPS statistics published today, there is still much that needs to be done for victims of sexual crime.
Responding to the publication of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) Statistical Bulletin: Cases Involving Sexual Offences 2023/24 she said:
“I welcome the fact that the median days for decision by the PPS had fallen to 212 calendar days in 2023/24 for the most serious sexual offences, the lowest in the last five years.
“While this is positive, there is still much that needs to be done across our criminal justice system to make sure victims of sexual offences are receiving the support they need and the justice system they deserve.
“The PPS had targeted resources to dealing with these cases, what we need to see now is that targeting maintained in a sustainable way that works in collaboration with other justice agencies.
“On the same day these statistics have been published we have also seen the publication of a report from the Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland (CJINI) saying that since the devolution of justice there has been ‘limited improvement in the performance of the criminal justice system, the experience of victims, witnesses and defendants or those working within it.’
“I agree with the Chief Inspector for CJINI Jacqui Durkin that we won’t see a real and lasting improvement for victims until a true partnership and system-wide approach to transformation and future investment is developed.
“A part of that must include the better collection and analysis of data not just by the PPS but across the whole of the criminal justice system.
“We need five year and ten year trends that captures data from all agencies and allows us to identify where resources should be targeted to be most effective.
“We must always remember that behind these statistics are individuals with a lives that have been seriously impacted while their case goes through the system.
“One of the most common issues raised during our last victim survey was poor communication across the system.
“Given the length of time that decisions on these cases taken, it’s absolutely vital that the PPS is communicating with victims regularly and with empathy.
“Coming forward and reporting a crime can be difficult, it’s important that support services are available, appropriate and most importantly adequately resourced.”