Blair is jeered on visit to city

A woman was arrested after she attempted to throw an egg at Mr Blair which missed him and broke in the road.

Mr Blair spent nearly an hour speaking to 16 residents from the Southmead area who described the "devastating impact" crime had on their lives.

He then left to address Labour party activists in St Pauls in the city.

"The courts don't necessarily work on the emergency timetable the local community actually needs"
Tony Blair

At the meeting in the White Hall community centre he heard how residents had been "intimidated by local yobs" and "treated like criminals" when they gave witness evidence against them in court.

Many also complained how long it took for cases to come to court and evict "neighbours from hell".

The prime minister listened to their opinions and experiences and asked them about their individual cases.

He said the Criminal Justice System needed to change to tackle the problem of antisocial behaviour more quickly.

"The courts don't necessarily work on the emergency timetable the local community actually needs," he said.

Mr Blair's two-day visit to Bristol comes as the Government attempts to underline its commitment to overhauling the Criminal Justice System and rebalancing civil liberties in favour of the victims.

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