BACUP-born former Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, has described the court system as ‘slow, bureaucratic and hugely frustrating’.

The former Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School pupil, who was Lancashire’s Chief Constable from 2002 to 2005, spent a day at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in central London, to see how it was working.

Afterwards, he told the Sunday Telegraph: “Despite improvements, the system is still chaotic on occasions and still bureaucratic. It creaks.”

Sir Paul reisgned as Britain’s top cop last July amid the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

He then took up a crisis management advisory role for Keyhaven, part of communications group King Worldwide.