While 7% of the judiciary as a whole is from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background (Police, military and courts lagging decades behind on ethnic diversity, 6 December), the equivalent figure for magistrates is higher, at 12%. This reflects progress – in the last decade the proportion of magistrates who are from BAME backgrounds has increased from 7% – and is particularly important given that magistrates deal with more than 90% of all criminal cases.
We should not, however, be in any way complacent. There is still significant work to do to improve diversity and recent progress will not necessarily be sustained without ongoing work to ensure that opportunities to become a magistrate are advertised to everyone. This requires a proactive approach that ensures that the role of the magistracy and the benefits of becoming a magistrate are widely understood, and that specific activity is undertaken to actively engage underrepresented groups.
We need to put time, energy and resources into recruiting a modern, diverse magistracy that reflects the society that we serve.
John Bache
National chair, Magistrates Association
• Coroners are still appointed by the local authorities for the areas they serve. Therefore, there are a variety of different methods of appointing coroners on an area-by-area basis. Further, as I understand it, there is no central database allowing the monitoring of the diversity of those being appointed. This is lamentable.
Therefore, it is now time either for the Judicial Appointments Commission or the chief coroner to take over responsibility for coronial recruitment. This would help to ensure a consistency of approach, equality of opportunity and quality standards throughout the country.
James Keeley
Barrister, London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
