The people in the province’s justice system who play a key role in courtrooms say increasing rates and complexities of crime are leaving them swamped with work, and they’re calling on government to staff up.

Statistics Canada recently published data which shows rising rates of crime nationally and provincially.

Homicides, for example, are up significantly in Newfoundland and Labrador, ranging from two to almost 10 a year over the past decade, while extortion cases saw the biggest jump in numbers from just 19 reports in 2015, to 202 in 2023.

Vehicle thefts are up by about 30 per cent over that period, with notable spikes in other crimes as well.

Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association, says prosecutors don’t always have the luxury of asking the judge for more time to present their case, and often work until the wee hours preparing for trials.

That’s due in large part, he says, to a shortage of experience Crown attorneys.

“That is what we’re seeing — overworked lawyers trying their best to protect the public,” he said. “But that’s a slippery slope. We’ve seen many talented Crown attorneys move on to other areas of practice — not because they don’t enjoy being a prosecutor but because they’re often overwhelmed with the workload.

“And by losing talented lawyers, especially those with experience, we end up with a pool of more junior lawyers with less experience being asked to handle not only their own high workload, but also that of their former colleagues.”

Patten notes while crime is increasing, the number of prosecutors has not been adjusted to deal with it.

He’s calling on government to correct the imbalance in the name of public safety.