The Pilbara’s only Justice of the Peace has publicly pleaded for help, saying he is under-resourced and tired from regularly dealing with a list of up to 100 offenders a day.

Judge Deen Potter told a public forum in Port Hedland he had not received “a great response” to his call for the appointment of a second judge in the region, given the increasing workload and increasingly complex cases. At the meeting last week, Mr Potter said Pilbara courts were hearing about 420 new criminal cases each month.

“I know I have a list of 100 people. I don’t want to be the 100th person on that list and get dismissed because the judge is tired,” Mr Potter said.

“I’m tired, and I can tell you that, but the person who is number 100 on the list gets the same attention and respect as the person number one on the list.”

Statistics from the Department of Justice show that 5996 criminal and civil cases were heard in the Pilbara magistrates’ and youth courts in the last financial year. By comparison, in the Goldfields, where there are three magistrates’ courts, 4998 cases were heard.

“This is far beyond the capabilities of a single justice of the peace. I know I’m wearing two hats,” Potter said last week.

“The Kimberley was divided into East and West Kimberley… I have tried to get this message across to those in power, but so far I have not received much response.”

A spokeswoman for Chief Justice Steven Heath said he had discussed the workload in Pilbara with the Attorney-General’s Department.

“The Perth Local Court sends a magistrate from Perth to Karratha for one week a month to help with the caseload, but this has an impact on waiting times in Perth,” she said.

Attorney-General Michael Mischin said he was aware of the increased workload in the Pilbara, particularly in Karratha, but there were ongoing fluctuations in caseloads.

“The solution is not necessarily to hire more justices of the peace or to permanently relocate them to certain areas, but to monitor needs over time,” he said.

“The Chief Justice is responsible for the allocation of his resources and rosters.”