Daily: How an “activist prosecutor” took on Britain’s broken justice system

<p><strong><em>Content warning: Includes discussion of sexual violence and abuse.</em></strong> What is it like being an “activist prosecutor” in a legal system hampered by institutional prejudice and often indifference? Former chief prosecutor <strong>Nazir Afzal</strong> tells <em>The Observer</em>’s <strong>Nick Cohen </strong>about his memoir<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Nazir-Afzal/The-Prosecutor/24639297" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Prosecutor: One Man’s Pursuit for Justice for the Voiceless</em></a><strong> </strong>and what it reveals about British justice. Why are marginalised young women so badly served by our justice system? How might COVID transform that system? And is “cultural sensitivity” a cover for failures on racial and class prejudice?</p><p><br></p><ul><li><em>“Police and prosecutors often use excuses to cover the fact that ‘This is really difficult, why are we bothering?’”</em></li><li><em>“The idea of ‘working in the interests of justice’ got changed to ‘working in the interest of just us’.”</em></li><li><em>“Our legal system is stuck in the past and isn’t updating with any speed.”</em></li><li><em>“One police station has been sold to a pizza restaurant. And do you know who owns it? Organised crime.”</em></li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Presented by Nick Cohen. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. </em><strong><em>THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production</em></strong></p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>