In his December 2007 address to the nation the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Nicholas Frederick said that when he took over the post a year earlier he had noted that "serious crime had escalated over the past eleven years."

According to the minister "three factors" were responsible for the increase: An inefficient justice system linked to inadequacies in the magistrates courts; weaknesses within the prosecution department and supporting services; and inadequate community involvement in preventing crime and inadequate police vigilance.

Dr Frederick said that the UWP government’s "major target" was to reduce crime through "three mechanisms": Closer liaison with the police; improving the justice system and better crime prevention through community involvement. The Attorney General said that when he took over there were a number of vacancies in the magistracy. However that had been rectified by the appointment of a "full compliment of magistrates."

According to the top lawyer it was full steam ahead. Good-bye to backlogs, adjournments and delays. Seems the Attorney General is a little out of touch with reality. Last Thursday Magistrate Velon John presided over his usual sitting of a Castries Court. At 9.30am John entered the courtroom ready for the day’s proceedings.

Only two matters had been lodged for the day. The first was a no-show. The second concerned a bail application., John obviously restrained said that he was "left with the feeling" that he was "defrauding the nation concerning his salary considering the backlog of cases, which is cause for serious concern." Having dealt with the bail application there was nothing else for John to do.

"I begin my very long weekend and it’s only 9.45am," he said. "Something is patently wrong. I am being paid a salary. I am here working every day from 8am until 4pm and nothing is happening. What is happening here? No cases to deal with. It doesn’t reflect the incidents of crime in the country. Here I am, half an hour of work. I am under the impression there is no crime in the country. "There is work to be done. Here I am with virtually nothing to do. Now I will go home and take up a horizontal posture! And my long weekend begins at 10am. That is utterly ridiculous." Before vacating the bench John ended: "That is St Lucia. Where we are all happy!"