There has been a review and the report says that the general public have lost confidence in the judicial system because they do not think the law is working.

I have to say I am not surprised.

The police are frustrated when they see criminals getting off lightly and even magistrates are resigning because they feel that the system is ineffectual.... but that is another matter.

Clearly the public are under the impression that the law is not working - whether it is or it isn't.

Once upon a time the local newspaper was the main way that people learned about the way justice works.... but that has changed.

Your local newspaper will still get Crown Court cases, but the coverage of magistrates' courts has all but dried up.

There are two main reasons - the Magistrates Courts office charges us exorbitant amounts of money for court lists, and the other is newspaper staffing levels.

It is a sad fact that we have fewer reporters than we used to and we cannot cover all the things we once did - a day in court for a few short court cases is, sadly, no longer a practical proposition.

Actually with some of the few court cases we do cover, we get complaints from people that their names have appeared in the paper - they say it is unfair that they get the punishment and then have their names splashed across the papers.

I suggest that they should have thought of that before they committed their crimes and the public has a right to know what is going on in their community and a right to see that justice is being done.

It is true that that privelege has been gradually worn away and is now under threat. I feel it is a shame and a matter that should be redressed.