Commenting on Jack Straw's announcement that he has ordered an urgent inquiry into warrant processes at Leeds Magistrates' Court, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Heath MP said:
"The scale of the mismanagement revealed here is astonishing and illustrates the deficiencies that undermine much of the criminal justice system.
The consequence is that the people of Leeds have been poorly served by the system that is supposed to protect them.
The Lord Chancellor must now not only deal with this problem a matter of urgency, but also order a review of court systems across the country to ensure that there is no repetition of this ineptitude.
The failure to ensure that police national computer records were complete or up to date shows yet again the vulnerability of large databases if those who have access to them are incompetent, careless or venal."
