Victims of crime feel they have been “failed” by the criminal justice system, a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has warned.

Recent figures have shown almost 1,000 cases backlogged at Norwich Crown Court, which follows unprecedented backlogs in England and Wales.

Sarah Taylor, who became Norfolk PCC in May, said the delayed trials were a concern for county residents she spoke to, with people feeling it was “putting their hopes for justice on hold”.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said it had inherited a criminal justice system “in crisis”, with a court backlog still growing, but had decided to “reduce the backlog”.

“A lot of people have told me about the problems they’ve faced with the wider criminal justice system,” Ms Taylor said.

“Victims of crime have called for help and said they feel they are being failed.

“This is due to issues such as long waits for trials being rescheduled.”

Young people’s wellbeing was a frequently raised issue, with some services such as youth groups being cut due to a lack of funding.

Ms Taylor continued: “We have heard from many frontline staff, such as teachers, that there are gaps in the safety nets for children.”

The CCP has set a number of priorities as part of its public consultation, which runs until 2 November.

These include restoring trust in the police, focusing on crime prevention and improving road safety.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “While we are bound by a difficult financial legacy, we are committed to remedying the delays.

“We will soon extend magistrates’ sentencing powers from six to 12 months, freeing up 2,000 days in Crown Courts to deal with the most serious cases.”