The latest bulletin from the Department of Justice, covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, confirms that case processing times have improved for a second year in a row.

The figure is one day faster than the previous year and four days faster than during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21.

Case processing time is measured from when the offence was reported or detected by the PSNI to when the case was completed in court.

Adult and youth magistrates’ courts recorded improvements in both charge and summons cases.

Adult magistrates’ charge cases took 92 days on average (down 3.2 per cent from 95 days), and summons cases took 223 days (down three per cent from 230 days).

In youth magistrates’ courts, charge cases averaged 158 days (down 6.5 per cent from 169 days) and summons cases averaged 290 days, one day faster than the previous year.

Crown Court performance was mixed. Charge cases were completed in an average of 542 days, 1.6 per cent faster than the previous year, while summons cases took 1,211 days on average, a one per cent increase.

Motoring offence cases were completed in an average of 152 days, while sexual offence cases took 630 days.