There has been an encouraging speed-up in dealing with persistent young offenders in Bradford and Keighley courts since new measures were introduced. A wait of many months between arrest and sentence is bad enough whatever age the offender, but it is particularly important that these youngsters, who by definition have already been sentenced by a criminal Court on at least three previous occasions, are dealt with as swiftly as possible.

From the offenders' point of view, if they are to be found not guilty it is better for it to happen sooner rather than later. And if they are again guilty and due for a custodial sentence, then from the public's point of view it is clearly more acceptable for them to be taken out of circulation quickly than left on bail and free to offend again during a long wait before the court case.

The delay has been shortened thanks to measures taken - such as preparing pre-sentencing reports in advance of hearings and giving new information to the court on the day to avoid adjournments - and greater co-operation between the agencies concerned.

Keighley Magistrates Court has achieved an average arrest-to-sentence time of 77 days and Bradford one of 83 days, well ahead of the national average of 108 days for magistrates' courts. However, the Bradford Crown Court picture is considerably less impressive, with a delay of a staggering 233 days - almost eight months.

Although the courts deserve a pat on the back for the improvements so far, there is still a long way to go before an ideal situation is reached.