Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar said: “Pre-Covid-19 charging rates have plummeted, and as a result, so has the public’s trust and confidence in justice. People need to know that if they are the victims of crime or  if they are falsely accused, they will have a fair outcome in a reasonable time. Our own recently published report, Small Change for Justice, sets out how shockingly underfunded the justice system, including the police, has been over the last decade. A system that is run on pennies cannot be expected to deliver world-class results. Targeted financial intervention is desperately needed.”