Justice takes time

The call by the Magistrates Association for courts to be set up in shopping centres ( JPs want courts in empty shops and offices to speed justice , 18 August) beggars belief. Their naive belief that justice can be dispensed the minute a shoplifter has been arrested is ill thought out. The paperwork file still has to be completed and all Police and Criminal Evidence Act requirements complied with, including representation by a solicitor and probation reports. Justice cannot have a time limit. The further suggestion that courts do not need proper security is nonsense, as those assaulted within courtrooms can testify. Many of my colleagues support court closures and amalgamations, but if this is the MA's answer to closures and budget cuts they are sadly out of touch. John Stewart JP Colchester, Essex