Falconer: Criminal justice system is in chaos

Parts of the criminal justice system are in "general chaos" the Lord Chancellor admitted today.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton made the remark during a light-hearted discussion at the barristers' annual conference, and immediately qualified his comments.

But his frank use of language will be seized upon by commentators who argue that parts of the law and order process are inadequate.

Lord Falconer told delegates at the Bar Council conference in west London: "There is general chaos in a number of cases."

He immediately added: "Not in all cases and it is getting better. We all need to try and make it better."

Lord Falconer was responding to a question from barrister Edward Grayson who suggested that the criminal justice system's reputation suffered because of poor communication between different elements such as the police, prosecutors and courts' legal advisers.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "Finally a government minister has admitted what has been widely suspected for some time.

"Ten years of tough talk from Tony Blair and his home secretaries have led to systematic operational incompetence throughout our criminal justice system.

"Overflowing prisons, heightened public fear of crime and some of the highest reoffending rates in the western world are the legacy of this Government's shameless populism on law and order."