Crown court backlog in England and Wales ‘could hit 100,000 without radical overhaul’

Anthony Rogers: ‘It’s more about thinking fundamentally about how cases are dealt with in the crown court.’ Photograph: HMCPSI/PA

The backlog of cases in crown courts in England and Wales could hit 100,000 unless radical action is taken to overhaul the criminal justice system, a watchdog has said.

Anthony Rogers, the chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Serious Fraud Office (SFO), said prosecutors’ caseloads were already beyond what had been seen before and he feared the situation could deteriorate.