Record delays are hitting youth criminal cases in Dorset, new figures reveal.

The Magistrates Association says a sluggish criminal justice system is damaging to vulnerable young offenders and victims, and has called for more investment.

The average youth criminal case in the Dorset local justice area took 169 days from the offence being committed to the final decision at court in 2018-19, Ministry of Justice data shows. This was the longest wait time since comparable data was first published in 2015-16. The picture in the area was mirrored across England and Wales, where the average case time hit 154 days – the longest since national records began in 2010-11.

John Bache, national chairman of the Magistrates Association, said more cash is needed for all areas of the system so justice can be administered swiftly and fairly.

“Delays in any part of the justice system are a cause for concern, but particularly in youth justice where they have an especially damaging impact on vulnerable children, young people and victims,” he added.

“It is especially concerning if delays lead to young people who commit crimes being tried in an adult court, if they turn 18 by the time their case comes to court.” In Dorset , the average time between the offence being committed and the offender being charged or a magistrate being formally notified of the offence rose by 19 days from 2015-16 to last year.

For the case to be listed, it took 34 days longer, while the time taken for the court to conclude proceedings decreased by eight days. Across England and Wales as a whole, the largest increase from 2010-11 was in the average time between offence and charge.

Aika Stephenson, legal director of Just for Kids Law, said this was partly due to police forces’ increasing use of the release under investigation process, whereby a suspect is released under caution without charge, rather than being bailed.

The Home Office recently launched a public consultation on bail conditions that will include looking at how the system of releasing people under investigation can be improved.

An HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman said that longer youth criminal cases were largely down to a rise in the time taken before a case reaches the courts.