Two senior attorneys say accused people can wait up to three years or more for case files in the Magistrates’ Courts, a situation which can prolong remand periods for some and leave accused and complainants in limbo.

Last week, acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick expressed frustration over the continuing delays in starting cases after several matters had to be adjourned because files had not yet been completed by investigating officers.

He said: “In Barbados, we have one of the best police forces in the world. If a crime happens tomorrow, within a week, they will hold the person, or they will have somebody assisting the police, but the problem that we have is to get the files. Today, the prosecution would have gotten up and would have said: ‘We have no file. We have no file.’  And if you look at the dates of the matter, you will see that it is a little frustrating to people coming and they don’t have the files.”