Falconer: Wants to see more justice

The lord chancellor has set out measures to ensure more offenders face the courts.

Setting out a five-year plan for his department, Lord Falconer will call on prosecutors to bring 170,000 more offenders to justice each year.

The Cabinet minister says the courts and prosecution services must convict, fine or caution 1.25 million people every 12 months.

The move comes as the government gives crime and security top billing ahead of the general election.

Falconer said that he wants to create a system where "more people are arrested and charged".

He is also warning that the courts must be more rigorous in handing out justice.

He says that "some people are not being convicted when they should be".

Witnesses

Falconer also announced plans to make it easier and less stressful for people to appear as witnesses in court.

The Cabinet minister is calling for greater use of videolink in order to allow more witnesses to "appear" before the courts.

"Victims who are elderly, victims who are children, victims who are intimidated need to feel they can give evidence in a way that makes it possible," he said on Monday.

"You are never going to be able to get rid of some element of the trauma of giving evidence, but you can make people believe that courts understand the problem and it is not some alien place you go where they aren't thinking about you."

Falconer is also poised this week to announce a retreat on plans to scrap the title of lord chancellor.

"On the role of lord chancellor, I think the critical thing is what the person does," he said.

"He should be focusing on things that affect real people in their real lives and the critical thing, I think, is there should be a minister.

"He should be there to defend the rule of law but he should also be there to make the court system more effective.

"He should not be the speaker of the House of Lords. He shouldn't necessarily be a lawyer or a peer. He might be, but the critical thing is what he does."