Fall in duty solicitors in South Yorkshire may cause 'perfect storm' in criminal justice
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Across England and Wales, figures show the number of duty solicitors has fallen by more than a quarter since 2017, while the Government has pushed through its police officer uplift programme to recruit 20,000 new officers.
The Law Society said this is "creating a perfect storm in criminal justice", reporting instances of police releasing suspects because of absent legal representation.
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Hide AdAnalysis of Ministry of Justice data by the Law Society suggests there will be 69 duty solicitors registered in South Yorkshire in 2027 – down from 85 this year.
In 2017, there were 123 duty solicitors, meaning there is predicted to be a fall of 44% in a decade.
The Law Society said the projections nationally show a continued collapse of duty solicitor schemes, meaning suspects are not provided with the independent legal support they are entitled to.
Lubna Shuja, president of the independent professional body representing solicitors in England and Wales, said: "Across the country, duty solicitors are working day and night providing legal advice at the crucial earliest stage of cases at police stations, ensuring access to justice for all. But there simply aren’t enough of them to go around because the work is not financially viable.
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Hide Ad"The Government sees itself as the party of law and order, but the evidence points to the contrary as its decisions continue to put the future of our criminal justice system at risk."
Ms Shuja called on the Government to "stop short-changing" defence solicitors and implement a 15% rise in legal aid rates.
"The failure to do this has sent a clear message that the Government is not serious about addressing the crisis," she concluded.
Nationally, there were 5,550 duty solicitors in 2017 – this has dropped to 4,100 as of April 2023, and is projected to fall by more than 2,000 over a decade to 3,480 in 2027.
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Hide AdMeanwhile, separate Home Office figures show more than 20,000 police officers have been recruited across the country as a part of the Government's uplift programme.
South Yorkshire Police's target was 504 – which was surpassed by recruiting 519 extra officers by March 2023.